ILLINOIS (WGN) — With 2024 roaring to a close, political heavyweights around the State of Illinois have turned their attention to 2026, with the biggest names already angling to position themselves.
Two of those big names on everyone’s radar are U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Governor JB Pritzker, who are both up for re-election.
Should Durbin decide not to run again, speculation surrounds Congressmen Raja Kirshnamoorthi and Mike Quigley, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
It could be a senatorial battle of epic proportions, with wildcards like Pritzker and Ambassador Rahm Emmanuel waiting in the wings.
“There’s only two jobs for that in this state and that’s one of them and it doesn’t open very often,” WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek said. “It’s like a chess game. First you got to find out who’s not running for reelection before anybody will commit to saying, ‘I want that job.’”
If Pritzker, who was in the mix to be the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in this year’s election cycle, aims for higher office, several senior state officials could pursue his job.