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who won the primary in illinois

It depends which race you mean, but here are the headline Illinois primary winners from this week’s 2026 contests, based on major outlets’ current calls and projections.

Quick Scoop: Illinois primary winners

Governor

  • Democratic primary: Gov. JB Pritzker ran essentially unopposed and secured the Democratic nomination for a third term.
  • Republican primary: Former state senator Darren Bailey is projected as the GOP nominee for governor, setting up a rematch against Pritzker in November.

Key statewide race: U.S. Senate (Durbin’s seat)

  • Democratic primary: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has taken the lead and is being treated as the de‑facto winner or clear frontrunner in coverage of the race to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, ahead of Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, as returns have solidified her position.
  • Republican primary: Don Tracy, former chair of the Illinois Republican Party, is the expected Republican nominee for the Senate seat.

Notable U.S. House primaries

  • IL‑5 (Chicago area): Incumbent Rep. Mike Quigley has won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Tommy Hanson in November.
  • IL‑6: Incumbent Rep. Sean Casten won the Democratic primary; Republican Niki Conforti is projected to win the GOP primary, setting up a rematch of their previous race.
  • IL‑7: Chicago state Rep. La Shawn Ford has been declared the winner of the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Danny Davis, after Melissa Conyears‑Ervin conceded.
  • IL‑9: Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is projected to win the Democratic primary for the open 9th District, one of the most closely watched races, after Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s retirement.

Simple HTML table of top-line winners

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Office Party Projected / Called Winner Notes
Governor Democratic JB Pritzker Incumbent, effectively unopposed in primary
Governor Republican Darren Bailey Former state senator; sets up 2022 rematch
U.S. Senate (Durbin seat) Democratic Juliana Stratton Lt. Governor; leading and treated as winner in coverage
U.S. Senate (Durbin seat) Republican Don Tracy Expected GOP nominee, former IL GOP chair
U.S. House IL‑5 Democratic Mike Quigley Incumbent, primary called for him
U.S. House IL‑6 Democratic Sean Casten Incumbent; comfortable primary win
U.S. House IL‑6 Republican Niki Conforti Projected GOP nominee; rematch vs. Casten
U.S. House IL‑7 Democratic La Shawn Ford Won after Melissa Conyears‑Ervin conceded
U.S. House IL‑9 Democratic Daniel Biss Evanston mayor; projected winner in open seat
If you had a specific race in mind (for example, “who won the Republican primary for governor” or a certain district number), tell me which one and I can narrow it down.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.