Crowded U.S. Senate primary in Illinois

(The Center Square) – Voters could find out before the night is over who the major party candidates are for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Durbin, D-Springfield, who’s been in Congress since 1983, announced last year he was not running for reelection. He was elected to the U.S. Senate and took office in 1997. Ten Democrats are running for the party’s nomination. Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton is among them. Gov. J.B. Pritzker endorsed her candidacy, saying she broke through a barrier. “There's never before been a black lieutenant governor of the state of Illinois,” Pritzker recently said at an unrelated news conference. “And we would like to have the second black woman elected to the United States Senate in Juliana Stratton. She's the best person for the job.” Others running include U.S. Rep. Raja Kristnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, who recently told a union rally he’s the right person for the