Governor Pritzker Secretly Funneled $10 Million Into Juliana Stratton Senate Primary
Illinois Governor's Super PAC Spending Revealed in Federal Filings
Governor JB Pritzker contributed more than $10 million to help his two-time running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, win last month's Democratic U.S. Senate primary, nearly all of it funneled through an ostensibly independent political action committee whose spending on the race more than tripled that of Stratton's own campaign.
The full extent of the governor's financial support was only revealed in new federal campaign disclosures filed this week and covering the weeks immediately before and after the March 17 primary election.
Pritzker made two contributions to Illinois Future PAC totaling $5 million in late February and early March. Both Pritzker deposits were made just after the Feb. 25 cutoff for contributions that had to be reported publicly before voters went to the polls. The governor already has contributed the maximum amount, $7,000, directly to Stratton's campaign, as have first lady MK Pritzker and their two adult children.
While Pritzker's backing was no secret during the campaign, the full extent of his financial involvement remained undisclosed until these recent federal filings.
Stratton, of Chicago, defeated a field that included two veteran members of Congress to win the Democratic nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. She topped U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Robin Kelly of Lynwood in the primary.
Outside Money Dominated the Race
The Senate race became the most high-profile of several crowded Democratic primaries for federal offices in which the sources of campaign contributions and spending by outside groups became a major flashpoint.
During the same period as Pritzker's contributions, Illinois Future, headed by Pritzker's former deputy campaign manager, spent nearly $12.7 million. This included almost $8.9 million on ads supporting Stratton and more than $3.3 million on ads opposing Krishnamoorthi.
Pritzker's $10 million in contributions to Illinois Future accounted for a substantial portion of the roughly $24 million in outside expenditures reported in the race.
Krishnamoorthi's campaign fund, Raja for Illinois, was the biggest spender of all in the Senate primary. The campaign spent $15 million since January and more than $28.3 million overall en route to finishing second, nearly 8 percentage points behind Stratton.
Krishnamoorthi spent the vast majority of those funds, more than $21.4 million, on advertising. Nearly $20.6 million went for TV ads that began running in July 2025. Altogether, his campaign committee spent $68.68 for each primary vote he received, compared with the Stratton campaign's $8.07 per vote.
The Comeback Victory
Stratton's own campaign committee, Juliana for Illinois, raised nearly $4.8 million and spent nearly $4.1 million through March 31. Despite this substantial effort, the lieutenant governor still ended March with less than $700,000 in her campaign's bank account.
Without acknowledging Pritzker's substantial financial support in the primary, Stratton's campaign sent an email to donors that played up Republican nominee Don Tracy's early fundraising edge.
He's using his personal fortune to self-fund his campaign and launch attacks against me, the email signed by Stratton said. Our campaign must meet the urgency of the moment because if we fall short, we won't have the resources to fight back.
Stratton spokeswoman Allison Janowski said the campaign does not expect outside spending in the general election to match the level seen in the primary.
Pritzker's Defense
After widespread criticism of the involvement of anonymous committees with apparent ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in several area Democratic congressional primaries, Michael Sacks wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune explaining his support for AIPAC-adjacent groups.
Throughout the campaign, a handful of high-spending super PACs appeared to be affiliated with AIPAC, which supports candidates that back pro-Israel policies. But the super PACs' donors largely didn't have to be disclosed until after the election under federal campaign finance laws.
The filings in the weeks since the election have cut through some of that opacity and shown AIPAC's allies' leading role in a surge of outside Congressional primary spending.
Gov. JB Pritzker introduced Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as she celebrates her win in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate on March 17, 2026.
Pritzker didn't explain his substantial contributions to the pro-Stratton super PAC, other than saying he wanted her to win. She was outspent. People said she couldn't possibly win. I think there were people who had written the political obituaries of everyone supporting her, and what happened in the end was her overcoming all of that, Pritzker said.
General Election Outlook
While Stratton is the prohibitive favorite to win the general election in November over Republican Don Tracy of Springfield, the former chair of the Illinois GOP, Tracy said he would self-fund to a reasonable extent and expected to attract more support from Republican donors after his primary victory last month.
Tracy had more than $1.5 million on hand at the beginning of April. He said he lent his campaign $2 million in August.
Illinois Future had less than $40,000 remaining at the end of March, but there are no limits on how much Pritzker or other wealthy backers can contribute to the PAC, which is legally prohibited from coordinating with Stratton's campaign.
Aside from the governor, other late contributors to Illinois Future included casino magnate Neil Bluhm, developer Elzie Higginbottom, and philanthropist Cari Sacks.
Campaign Finance Context
This week's federal campaign finance disclosures showed clearer ties between one of those committees and the pro-Israel organization. The committee, Chicago Progressive Partnership, received $1 million from Elect Chicago Women, which, in turn, was funded in large part by AIPAC's affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project.
Chicago Progressive Partnership's other largest donors were Michael Sacks and Linden Capital Partners President Anthony Davis.
Chicago Progressive Partnership spent more than $1.1 million to oppose Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive commentator who ultimately came in second to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss in the North Side and north-suburban 9th Congressional District primary.
It also spent heavily against progressive tech entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed, who lost his race in the mostly northwest suburban 8th District.
Other Races and Statewide Spending
Throughout the campaign, a handful of high-spending super PACs appeared to be affiliated with AIPAC, which supports candidates that back pro-Israel policies. But the super PACs' donors largely didn't have to be disclosed until after the election under federal campaign finance laws.
The filings in the weeks since the election have cut through some of that opacity and shown AIPAC's allies' leading role in a surge of outside Congressional primary spending.
Governor JB Pritzker introduces Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as she celebrates her win in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate on March 17, 2026, at CineCity Studios Chicago.
Governor JB Pritzker introduces Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as she celebrates her win in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senate on March 17, 2026, at CineCity Studios Chicago.
Statewide, the pattern of campaign finance disparity continued across other races. Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who isn't seeking reelection, is also viewed as a possible challenger to incumbent Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Mendoza raised $125,766 last quarter and has $1.6 million cash on hand.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, the Democratic nominee for comptroller, had $149,776 on hand as of March 31 compared to Republican nominee Bryan Drew's $26,868.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul raised $270,422 and has $1.6 million on hand while Republican nominee Bob Fioretti had just $36,162 in his account.
Treasurer Mike Frerichs raised $259,640 and has nearly $1.6 million in his account. Republican Max Solomon, who waged a write-in campaign to get on the ballot, had just $4,317 in his account.
Legislative Leaders
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, reported more than $21.6 million between two campaign accounts he controls, placing him far-and-away ahead of the other Four Tops in financial strength.
House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch reported nearly $11.2 million between his personal campaign account and the House Democrats' campaign arm.
Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, reported about $3.4 million between two campaign accounts he controls while House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, had nearly $1.6 million.
While Republicans were able to stave off most Democratic offensives in 2024, when President Donald Trump performed better-than-expected at the top of the ticket, 2026 is shaping up to be a challenging one for the GOP.
Trump is deeply unpopular in Illinois. House Republicans are defending five seats and Senate Republicans are defending three seats in districts carried by Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Democrats, benefiting from a heavily gerrymandered legislative map, are less exposed.
With an unfavorable midterm climate and a massive resource disadvantage, Republicans are in danger of becoming an even smaller superminority next year.
Sources
Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/16/jb-pritzker-10-million-stratton-senate/
Capitol News Illinois https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/pritzker-spent-10-million-to-boost-stratton-in-primary-records-show/