Pritzker secures historic third term as Democrats sweep Illinois
Incumbent governor defeats Darren Bailey by 23 points while Juliana Stratton takes the Senate seat held by Dick Durbin.
By Carlos Rousseau ·
Gov. JB Pritzker became the first Democrat in Illinois history to win a third term on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Darren Bailey by a wide margin. The victory extends his tenure in the governor's mansion through 2031 and cements his status as a dominant force in the state's Democratic Party.
Pritzker captured 2,335,631 votes, representing 59.8 percent of the total. Bailey finished second with 1,438,609 votes, or 36.8 percent. Independent candidate Collin Corbett received 130,697 votes. NBC News Decision Desk reported that 90.8 percent of expected votes had been counted at the time of the projection.
The gubernatorial win mirrored results in the U.S. Senate race, where former Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton secured the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Stratton defeated former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, accumulating 2,418,659 votes, or 61 percent. Tracy garnered 1,487,039 votes, or 37.5 percent. Whitfield Harrington Jr. placed third with 62,564 votes.
Democrats also swept the statewide executive offices. Alexi Giannoulias won the race for Secretary of State with 64.5 percent of the vote. Kwame Raoul retained the Attorney General position with 61.5 percent, while Michael Frerichs defeated Max Solomon for Treasurer with 61.93 percent. Margaret Croke won the Comptroller race against Bryan Drew, securing 60.8 percent of the vote.
The state's congressional delegation will see substantial turnover. Illinois will send six freshman members to the U.S. House, all of them Democrats. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi vacated their seats to run for the Senate, while Reps. Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, and Jesús "Chuy" García announced their retirements from the House.
In the House races, incumbents held their ground in most districts. Mike Quigley won the 5th District with 75.5 percent of the vote, and Bill Foster took the 11th District with 65.4 percent. New faces emerged in several areas, with Jonathan Jackson winning the 1st District and Donna Miller taking the 2nd District. In the 16th District, Darin LaHood defeated Paul Nolley with 58.6 percent of the vote.
The election results confirm a strong Democratic hold on Illinois politics. The party now controls the governor's office, both U.S. Senate seats, and all statewide executive positions. With the full slate of House races showing Democratic victories, the state's political leadership is unified under the party banner for the next two years.
