2026-03-18T16:45:00-0400 / CBS新闻
周二举行的伊利诺伊州民主党初选备受关注，而这份关注并不总是针对候选名单上的人物。退休参议员迪克·杜兰德(Dick Durbin)空出的席位竞选，成为伊利诺伊州州长JB·普里茨克(JB Pritzker)在潜在2028年总统竞选前政治影响力的试金石。
竞选最后几周，亲以色列团体和亲加密货币团体的外部支出如潮水般涌入众议院初选。
以下是周二选举结果的五个启示：
斯特拉顿有望创造历史
如果朱莉安娜·斯特拉顿(Juliana Stratton)在伊利诺伊州这个民主党占绝对优势的地区的普选中获胜（她在此处极有可能胜出），她将成为美国参议院第六位担任该职务的黑人女性。
这位芝加哥南区本地人兼律师，在2018年成为普里茨克副州长之前，曾担任两年州议员。她在周二的胜选得益于在芝加哥的出色表现，并且在该州更多郊区和农村地区仍能与主要对手拉贾·克里希纳穆尔蒂议员(Raja Krishnamoorthi)保持竞争力。
她将自己塑造为对抗特朗普政府的坚强斗士，其竞选活动中一段选民向总统辱骂的病毒式广告就体现了这一点。
她承诺推动废除移民和海关执法局(ICE)，这一立场在特朗普政府”中途闪电行动”打击芝加哥移民后引起了共鸣。在辩论和电视上，她会强调并批评Palantir高管向克里希纳穆尔蒂捐款一事，而Palantir为ICE开发软件工具。
“华盛顿民众厌倦的是现状…他们在寻找愿意为他们挺身而出的人，”她在周一接受CBS新闻采访时表示。
除了普里茨克的支持，斯特拉顿还获得了塔米·达克沃斯(Tammy Duckworth)和伊丽莎白·沃伦(Elizabeth Warren)两位参议员的背书。斯特拉顿曾表示，如果当选参议院议员，她不会支持纽约州参议员查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)担任民主党核心小组领导人。
普里茨克在潜在2028年竞选前展示政治实力
在芝加哥的斯特拉顿竞选庆祝活动上，普里茨克告诉工作人员和支持者，他知道自己对斯特拉顿的支持是一场赌注。
“很多人认为这对我来说是个人行为。他们是对的，确实如此，”普里茨克周二晚上表示。
自竞选第一天起，普里茨克就与斯特拉顿的参议院竞选活动紧密相连。他出现在斯特拉顿竞选活动和支持斯特拉顿的超级政治行动委员会(Super PAC)——伊利诺伊未来行动委员会(Illinois Future PAC)的多个电视广告中，而他个人至少为该委员会投入了500万美元资金。
选举日当天，有人看到他与斯特拉顿一起出现在芝加哥著名的曼尼咖啡馆和熟食店(Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen)，进行最后冲刺。
“我支持候选人不是因为提前做了民意调查，决定只支持我确定100%会赢的人，”普里茨克在周二接受Politico采访时表示，”当你有一个非常有资格胜任该职位的人时，我就会支持他。”
但支持斯特拉顿也有风险。几个月来，斯特拉顿在民调中落后于主要对手克里希纳穆尔蒂，后者拥有庞大的筹款库，并自去年7月起投放电视广告。
支持第三位候选人罗宾·凯利议员(Rep. Robin Kelly)的国会黑人核心小组主席也对州长的介入表示不满。”坦率地说，[普里茨克]在这场竞选中的行为不会很快被我们任何人忘记，”伊维特·克拉克议员(Rep. Yvette Clarke)告诉Punchbowl新闻。克拉克周三发表声明祝贺斯特拉顿，并表示这是一个”需要团结的时刻”。
普里茨克将于11月竞选罕见的第三个任期州长连任，他表示目前尚未考虑2028年总统竞选。但斯特拉顿的胜利为州长带来了政治实力，因为他将在参议院获得一位亲密的政治伙伴。
“黑人女性是民主党的中坚力量，如果一个白人男性想竞选总统，能够获得她们崛起领导层的支持将是一场重大胜利，”民主党活动家海玛·摩尔(Hyma Moore)表示。
“无论他做什么，我可以说如果他决定参选，他会做得非常出色，”斯特拉顿周三告诉记者，”我认为他会成为一位伟大的总统。”
美国以色列公共事务委员会(AIPAC)、加密货币和人工智能团体的外部支出投资回报参差不齐
亲以色列、加密货币和人工智能相关委员会在芝加哥地区的参议院初选和多个众议院民主党初选中投入了超过5270万美元的外部支出，结果喜忧参半。
根据联邦选举委员会(Federal Election Committee) filings，支持加密货币的Fairshake PAC花费约1000万美元反对斯特拉顿，希望克里希纳穆尔蒂能胜出。他们在伊利诺伊州第2、8和13选区支持的候选人获胜，但在第7选区失利。
“我们在美国创新的全国性斗争才刚刚开始，”Fairshake PAC发言人杰夫·维特(Geoff Vetter)表示。
支持人工智能的Think Big PAC花费约100多万美元支持第8选区获胜者梅丽莎·比恩(Melissa Bean)，并投入大致相同金额支持杰西·杰克逊(Jesse Jackson Jr.)在伊利诺伊州第2选区的失败复出尝试。
但美国以色列政治行动委员会(AIPAC)是最大的支出方。他们在芝加哥地区的四场竞选中花费超过2100万美元，支持的委员会名称宽泛，与AIPAC没有明显关联，在他们资助的广告中也没有提及以色列。
他们在周二晚上的众议院选举结果中平分秋色。他们支持的候选人在第2和7选区获胜，在第8和9选区失利。该组织周二晚上宣称取得了更广泛的胜利，指出”六名反以色列候选人”在初选中失利，并表示他们准备在2026年的初选中投入更多资金。
特别是在第9选区，AIPAC投入了超过700万美元。最终获胜者埃文斯顿市长丹尼尔·比斯(Daniel Biss)在竞选活动中反对该组织的介入，表明民主党内部亲以色列立场的政治立场正在转变。
比斯是大屠杀幸存者的孙子，支持两国解决方案，并表示”巴勒斯坦人民的压迫是世界和犹太民族都无法容忍的污点”。
“美国以色列政治行动委员会吃了个教训。第9选区是买不来的，”比斯周二晚上表示。
“这场胜利属于J街，”他补充道，指的是支持比斯的自由派亲以色列外部组织J-Street。
进步派候选人失利
在纽约市市长佐伦·曼达尼(Zohran Mamdani)2025年胜选以及今年早些时候新泽西州第11选区特别选举初选中Analilia Mejia获胜后，更左翼的进步派感到鼓舞。但在周二晚上的初选中，立场相似的候选人却未能胜出。
26岁的巴勒斯坦裔美国记者卡特·阿布哈扎莱赫(Kat Abughazaleh)在伊利诺伊州第9选区参选，去年才搬到芝加哥地区，但以3个百分点的差距输给了比斯。科技商人朱奈德·艾哈迈德(Junaid Ahmed)在伊利诺伊州第8选区以5个百分点的差距输给了比恩。伊利诺伊州参议员罗伯特·彼得斯(Robert Peters)获得进步派工作家庭党(Working Families Party)支持，但在伊利诺伊州第2选区仅获第三名。
尽管三人在移民和以色列问题上都比主要对手更偏左，但”可负担性”这一话题是他们竞选宣传的核心，与纽约的曼达尼类似。
尽管国会进步核心小组(Congressional Progressive Caucus)和正义民主党(Justice Democrats)支持阿布哈扎莱赫和艾哈迈德，佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯(Bernie Sanders)也给予背书，但民主党左翼在伊利诺伊州几乎一无所获。
高投票率
该州参议院初选的投票率是自前总统奥巴马2004年民主党参议院初选以来最高的，目前已投票超过110万张。芝加哥及其郊区库克县的早期投票也创下纪录，超过了2018年初选时创下的106,252张早期选票的前纪录——上一次是特朗普总统在中期选举季执政期间。
https://youtu.be/svuh7mIxukk?si=e-ehfdNEw0a1mHtf
Illinois primaries show political power of Pritzker, limits for outside spending and more takeaways
2026-03-18T16:45:00-0400 / CBS News
Illinois’ Democratic primary elections on Tuesday received a lot of attention, and not always for the candidates on the ballot. The primary for the open seat left by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, had served as a test for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s political clout ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.
And outside spending from pro-Israel groups and pro-crypto groups, had swarmed House primaries in the closing weeks.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s results:
Stratton on path to make history
Should she win her general election where she is heavily favored in the Democratic stronghold of Illinois, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton will become the sixth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
A South Side Chicago native and attorney, Stratton served as a state representative for two years before becoming Pritzker’s lieutenant governor in 2018. Her win on Tuesday was bolstered by a strong showing in Chicago, and remaining competitive with her main opponent, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, in more suburban and rural areas of the state.
She framed herself as a strong fighter against the Trump administration, which was shown in her campaign’s viral adthat featured voters launching expletives at the president.
She has pledged to push to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a message that resonated after the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration crackdown in Chicago. And in debates and on the airwaves, she’d highlight and criticize donations a Palantir executive made to Krishnamoorthi. Palantir develops software tools for ICE.
“What people are tired of in Washington is the status quo … they’re looking for someone to go to the mat fighting for them,” she told CBS News in an interview on Monday.
In addition to the backing from Pritzker, Stratton had endorsements from Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren. Stratton has said that if elected to the Senate, she would not support New York Sen. Chuck Schumer as leader of the Democratic caucus.
Pritzker shows political power ahead of potential 2028 run
At Stratton’s watch party in Chicago, Pritzker told staff and supporters that he knows the bet he made on Stratton.
“A lot of people have suggested this was personal to me. They were right. It was,” Pritzker said Tuesday night.
Pritzker had been tied to Stratton’s Senate campaign since day one. He appeared in several TV ads from her campaign and a pro-Stratton super PAC, Illinois Future PAC, that he funded with at least $5 million of his own money.
And on Election Day, he was spotted alongside Stratton at the famous Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen in Chicago, to make a last-minute push.
“I’m not choosing candidates because I’ve taken a poll ahead of time and decided that I can only support a candidate that I know absolutely 100% is going to win,” Pritzker said on Tuesday, according to Politico. “When you’ve got somebody that is hyper-qualified for the job, that’s who I’m supporting.”
But his backing of Stratton had risks. Stratton had lagged in polling for months in the race as her main opponent, Krishnamoorthi, had a massive fundraising arsenal and put up TV advertisements since last July.
The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, which had backed a third candidate, Rep. Robin Kelly, also showed frustrations with the governor’s involvement. “Quite frankly, [Pritzker’s] behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us,” Rep. Yvette Clarke told Punchbowl News. Clarke put out a statement on Wednesday congratulating Stratton, and said it was a moment “that calls for unity.”
Pritzker, who is up for reelection in November for a rare third term as Illinois governor, has said he is not considering a 2028 campaign for president at this moment. But Stratton’s win is a force of political power for the governor, as he gets a close political partner in the Senate.
“It’s no secret that Black women are the backbone of the Democratic party, and if you are part of their ascendant leadership, that’s a big win for a white male who may want to run for President,” said Democratic operative Hyma Moore.
“Whatever he does, I can say if that’s what he decides to do, he would be wonderful at it,” Stratton told reporters on Wednesday. “I think he’d make a great president.”
Outside spending from AIPAC, crypto and AI sees mixed return on investment
Pro-Israel, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence committees contributed over $52.7 million dollars in outside spending for the Senate primary and several House Democratic primaries in the Chicagoland area. And they saw mixed results.
The pro-crypto Fairshake PAC spent about $10 million against Stratton, in hopes of a Krishnamoorthi win, according to Federal Election Committee filings. Their preferred candidate in Illinois’ 2nd, 8th and 13th District won, while they lost in the 7th District.
“We are just getting started in our nationwide fight for American innovation,” said Fairshake PAC spokesperson Geoff Vetter.
The pro-artificial intelligence Think Big PAC had spent about over $1 million to back 8th District winner Melissa Bean, and about the same amount to Jesse Jackson Jr.’s failed comeback attempt in Illinois’ 2nd district.
But the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) was the largest spender. They spent over $21 million across four Chicagoland races, propping up committees with broad names that didn’t have obvious ties to AIPAC or mentioning Israel in any of the advertisements they funded.
They saw an even split in Tuesday night’s House results. Their preferred candidate won in the 2nd and 7th districts and lost in the 8th and 9th district. The group claimed a broader victory Tuesday night, noting that “half a dozen anti-Israel candidates” had lost their primaries and indicated that they’re ready to spend more in future 2026 primaries.
AIPAC had been a rallying cry in the 9th District in particular, the race they spent over $7 million. The eventual winner, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, had campaigned against the group’s involvement, showing the shifting politics of pro-Israel stances in the Democratic party.
Biss, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, supports a two-state solution and said the “oppression of the Palestinian people is an unacceptable stain on the world and the Jewish people as well.”
“AIPAC found out the hard way. The 9th district is not for sale,” Biss said Tuesday night.
“This victory belongs to J-Street,” he added, referencing a liberal pro-Israel outside group that backed Biss.
Progressive candidates fall short
Further-left progressives felt emboldened after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 victory, and Analilia Mejia in New Jersey’s 11th District special election primary earlier this year. But in primaries Tuesday night where candidates with similar platforms ran, they’ve fallen short.
Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old Palestinian American journalist who ran in the Illinois’ 9th District but had only moved to Chicagoland last year, lost to Biss by just over 3 points. Junaid Ahmed, a tech businessman, lost to Bean in Illinois’ 8th District by 5 points. Illinois state Sen. Robert Peters, who had backing from the progressive Working Families Party, placed third in the Illinois’ 2nd District.
While all three had run to the left of their main opponents on immigration and Israel, the topic of affordability had been center to their campaign messaging, similar to Mamdani in New York.
But despite involvement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Justice Democrats group, which backed Abughazaleh and Ahmed, as well as endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the left-wing of the Democratic party still left Illinois relatively empty handed.
High turnout
Turnout for the state’s Senate primary is the highest since former President Barack Obama’s Democratic Senate primary in 2004, with over 1.1 million votes cast so far. Voters in Chicago and its suburbs in Cook County also set the record for early voting, surpassing the previous record of 106,252 early ballots cast for the 2018 primaries, the last time President Trump was in office during a midterm election season.
https://youtu.be/svuh7mIxukk?si=e-ehfdNEw0a1mHtf