Illinois Primaries Show Mixed Results for Pro-Israel Groups

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton Wins Democratic Senate Primary

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton has emerged as the winner of the Democratic primary for the United States Senate seat in Illinois. The election took place on Tuesday night, with Stratton defeating 10 other Democratic candidates vying for the party’s nomination.

Stratton received endorsements from several prominent figures, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and US Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. Her campaign platform focused on increasing the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour and abolishing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Several groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) contributed to Stratton’s campaign, despite AIPAC not publicly campaigning for her. The committee’s efforts were part of a larger trend of special interest spending in the primary elections.

In addition to the Senate race, Illinois voters also participated in Democratic primaries for four open US House seats. The winners included Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, former US Representative Melissa Bean, state Representative La Shawn Ford, and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.

Pro-Israel lobbying groups with ties to AIPAC spent significant amounts of money on these races, but had mixed results. Two candidates supported by AIPAC-aligned groups won their House races, while two others who were opposed by the groups also prevailed.

The outcome of the Senate primary is seen as a key indicator of the Democratic Party’s strategy for the midterm elections in November. With Republican President Trump’s approval rating at 39 percent according to recent polling data, Democrats are focusing on issues such as the cost of living and healthcare. Analysts predict that Democrats have a good chance of winning control of both chambers of Congress, which would significantly impact Trump’s domestic and foreign policy priorities.

Source: Al Jazeera