Pritzker, Stratton, and Chicago School Board Face Decisive Votes
Voters in Illinois will decide state leadership, the next U.S. Senator, and the first fully elected school board in Chicago history.
By Amina Kaminski ·
Illinois voters will cast ballots on November 3 in a slate of races that determines the state's executive leadership, its federal representation, and the governance of Chicago's public schools.
Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking a third consecutive term, a rarity in modern Illinois politics that has not occurred in roughly 40 years. He faces Republican Darren Bailey, a downstate farmer and former state legislator. Pritzker defeated Bailey by more than 12 percentage points in 2022. Campaign finance records show Pritzker contributed $65 million to his own campaign last month. Bailey raised approximately $633,000 in the third quarter and held just over $431,000 at the start of October.
In the U.S. Senate race, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is running to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Stratton won the Democratic primary in March against two sitting congressmen. She now faces Don Tracy, a central Illinois attorney who previously chaired the state Republican Party. Stratton, 61, has promoted a $25 minimum wage and Medicare for All during her campaign.
The Chicago Board of Education race marks the first time the entire 21-member board will be elected by the public. The board oversees a budget for a district serving more than 316,000 students and 45,000 employees. The race for the board president has drawn the most spending, with over $6 million invested as of mid-October. Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, and Victor P. Henderson remain active candidates. The Common Ground Collective spent about $2.6 million in the race, including more than $846,000 on advertising against Dominguez this month.
Dominguez, a former special education teacher, is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. He recently responded to a renewed investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with a teenager. The Chicago Public Schools inspector general stated last week that there was insufficient evidence of sexual misconduct. Dominguez called the reopening of the case a political effort to smear him. Biggs, a former principal, has secured support from several unions and about a dozen city council members.
In the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Jesus Garcia decided late not to seek reelection. His chief of staff, Patty Garcia, won the Democratic nomination unopposed. Lyons Mayor Chris Getty, an independent, was the only other candidate to make the ballot, joining Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey and Republican Lupe Castillo. The district has voted Democratic by about 40 percentage points in the last two cycles.
The election also involves contests in the 7th and 9th Congressional Districts. La Shawn Ford is expected to defeat Chad Koppie in the 7th District, which includes parts of Chicago's West and South Sides. Daniel Biss is the favorite to win the 9th District against John Elleson, representing areas in Chicago's North Side and the northwest suburbs.
