Our Chicago: The Illinois Primary
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Tuesday is primary election day in Illinois. And there are a number of big races on the ballot. For the first time since 2010, Illinois has a wide open Senate seat with the retirement of longtime Democrat Dick Durbin.
And here in the Chicago area, there five open House seats. Some of those are because the incumbents are running that US Senate seat. The result? A big change to Illinois' Congressional delegation.
Stephen Maynard Caliendo is a professor of Political Science at North Central College, "It's amazing and it is disproportionate in Illinois because we have the open Senate seat and so that opened up a bunch of House races. But we're seeing a lot more retirements throughout the country."
Political Science Professor Alvin Tillery from Northwestern University calls it a moment of "generational change as the baby boomers are retiring and sadly passing on, Gen-xers and Millennials are stepping up and becoming a larger share of the voting age population. They're going to want to be in Congress as well." Tillery says younger voters are more progressive, "The Democratic base is much more to the left of the donor class and the elected class. And part of the reason that so many are stepping up is because they're frustrated with the approach of the older elected officials."
And while President Donald Trump isn't on the ballot, "It's very much a referendum on the current administration. We also know that incumbent presidents typically lose House seats, their party loses House seats in midterm elections." says Caliendo. Illinois voters will also cast ballots in the Governor's race.
JB Pritzker is running for a third term. Four Republicans are competing to take him on in November. They're former State Senator and 2022 GOP nominee, Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, former President of the media outlet Wirepoints, Dupage County Sheriff James Mendrick and businessman Rick Heidner.
"I think part of what the Republicans will run on is whether or not he plans to be governor for four years," says Caliendo, referring to the possibility that Pritzker may run for President. "There are presidential ambitions there that have not been hidden. And that will be part of the discussion as well."
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