Raja Krishnamoorthi lays out his case in 2026 Illinois Senate primary

Author’s Note: Profiles of Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly are forthcoming and will be linked here when published.

After four terms in Congress, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is hoping to follow his predecessor’s lead and make the leap to the U.S. Senate.

Krishnamoorthi is running for the Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Sen. Dick Durbin, and he’ll hope to become the second straight representative in his district to join the august body after Sen. Tammy Duckworth was elected in 2016.

Krishnamoorthi has raised one of the largest war chests of any Senate candidate in the country, banking roughly $25 million for the hotly contested primary, and he’s looking to keep Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly at bay in the Democratic contest on March 17.

With polling data showing the race tightening, Krishnamoorthi says he is focused both on punching back at his opponents as they ramp up their advertising efforts while also staying focused on his priorities of opposing President Donald Trump.

“I think that my leading opponent has been making attacks for months and months. And they went unanswered until very recently,” he said. “And so now, we’re going to continue to answer any attacks, but also put out our positive message, holding the Trump administration accountable and trying to address the economic pain points that people are feeling, whether they’re working poor, middle class or growing a business.”

Among those policies that Krishnamoorthi opposes is the way Trump has deployed immigration enforcement agencies.  

“He’s using ICE and CBP in a way that almost resembles a paramilitary police. And so the question is, do we roll over, meaning allow him to continue with all these activities unimpeded, or do we fight? I think we have to fight,” he said. “And what I say is, it’s not about fist fighting. It’s about fighting in the court of public opinion, fighting in courts, fighting in Congress, and fighting in Senate for our values and what we believe and hold dear.”

One of the main points of contention between Krishnamoorthi and his Democratic rivals has been how to approach the question over ICE, and whether the agency should be dismantled. While Stratton and Kelly have both called for ICE to be abolished, Krishnamoorthi has made it a point to say that “Trump’s ICE” needs to be dismantled.

“Masks have to come off, body cameras have to go on, ID has to on, no more warrantless arrests, there can’t be,” he said. “Anything but third-party investigations of the use of force, and there can’t be roving gangs of ICE or CBP agents anymore.”

With conflict raging in the Middle East, Krishnamoorthi has called for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians.

“Hamas has to be demilitarized. Israel needs to withdraw (from Gaza),” he said. “Then you need to have an international stabilization force, and then you need massive reconstruction of Gaza, ultimately resulting in hopefully a two-state solution, a Palestinian state and an Israeli state living side-by-side and recognized by their neighbors.”

Domestically Krishnamoorthi says he is laser-focused on affordability, which he plans to address by blocking large-scale corporate mergers, issuing tax credits to encourage home-buying, and other policy planks.

“I (will keep) standing up to large corporate interests that are trying to merge to hike prices and lower working conditions. I did this successfully with the Kroger-Albertson’s and that’s why I earned the endorsement of the United Food and Commercial Workers,” he said. “A second issue is the affordability of housing. And so there, I’ve proposed a 10% refundable tax credit for the purchase of your first home. And that especially helps younger people who don’t have the money to afford a down payment these days for buying a home. And that is part of the American dream. They should have that access as well.”

Above all else, Krishnamoorthi says he wants to make sure every American has the same opportunity to thrive that he has been given during his life.

“I’ve lived the American dream. I’ve been privileged. To be a product of all the policies that I’m championing and have been and want to continue to advocate for so that others have access to the dream the same way I did,” he said. “I’m a product of public housing and food stamps. I would not be here, but for our social safety net, I’m the product of our public schools, and I’m an immigrant.”

The Illinois Senate primary is set for March 17.