* Crain’s…

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton says she’s raised just over $1 million in her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

The campaign didn’t release an exact amount or details on donors, which should be available in filings later this month.

The race to succeed U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in 2026 is already crowded. Stratton faces off against fellow Democratic U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a prodigious fundraiser who has amassed a war chest of more than $19 million, and Robin Kelly, who had about $2 million on hand at the end of the first quarter, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

* US Rep. Robin Kelly…

Many top leaders, advocates and champions of the state’s gun violence prevention movement today endorsed Robin Kelly for U.S. Senate. The group has founded gun violence prevention organizations, raised their voices, told their stories and led with passion on ending senseless gun violence in our communities.

“Any Illinois voter who cares about curbing gun violence in our state should know that Robin Kelly is the only choice for the U.S. Senate,” said Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, an activist who began the Wear Orange movement after losing her 15-year-old daughter Hadiya to gun violence. “Robin has proven her leadership in Congress and is the only candidate who will continue championing lifesaving gun violence prevention legislation in the Senate.” […]

Members of the gun violence prevention movement endorsing Kelly for Senate include:

Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton
Camiella Williams
Corey Hardiman
Delphine Cherry
Martinez Sutton
Cassandra Greer-Lee
Elizabeth Gerald
Tonya Burch
Dawn Valenti
Donald Williams
LaShawn Littrice
Carl Williams
Pamela Bosley
Trevon Bosley
Maria Pike
Pastor Brenda Mitchell

* Politico…

Jason Friedman has raised more than $1 million since announcing two months ago that he’s running for the 7th District seat held by Congressman Danny Davis.

What’s interesting: Friedman, a businessman whose family runs the Friedman Properties real estate company, has built up his campaign coffers from individual donations — not his own, according to a statement from his campaign. Friedman has been working the phones and meeting with voters and community leaders since announcing his run April 17.

“I’m energized by the strong support we’ve received since launching our campaign and [am] eager to build on that momentum to deliver results for the 7th District,” he said in a statement.

Waiting game: Davis, who’s 83, told constituents during a weekend town hall that he’ll make a decision in a few weeks about whether he’ll seek re-election for a 16th term.

* The Daily Northwestern…

Tucked away in a spacious eventroom in Skokie’s Sketchbook Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, residents of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District shared drinks, laughs and conversations with eight prospective Democratic candidates who could rewrite the district’s political future for years to come. […]

Attendees from the district heard two-minute campaign speeches from eight candidates — including content creator Kat Abughazaleh, Skokie politician Bushra Amiwala (Kellogg ’25), Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, State Sen. Laura Fine, Evanston native Miracle Jenkins, Evanston advocate Bethany Johnson and Skokie attorney Howard Rosenblum. One contender who presented, State Sen. Mike Simmons, has not yet officially filed his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission as of Sunday night. […]

The younger candidates, Amiwala and Abughazaleh, who are both in their 20s, drew excitement from younger voters in the crowd, including 26-year-old Lincolnwood resident Mynk Richardson.

Richardson said she was inspired by the pair’s political ambitions despite being so young, and said her ideal Democratic candidate would present new ideas beyond the Democratic Party’s strategy of “playing it safe” in national politics.

* Jewish Insider…

As he competes for Illinois’ open Senate seat, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is hoping that the state’s sizable Jewish community, concentrated in the Chicago area, will help him chart a path to victory in the Democratic primary. […]

“I think Jewish Americans are just like everyone else, first of all, and they care about the full range of issues that all voters care about,” Krishnamoorthi said, when asked by Jewish Insider in a recent interview why the Jewish community should back him.

“However, I do think that they have a desire for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,” Krishnamoorthi continued, “and I don’t think there’s anybody else with the track record in this race that I possess, showing strong support for that relationship, but also knowing why that relationship needs to continue to be strong on a bipartisan basis, and we need to take this out of politics.” […]

On a series of key votes on Middle East and antisemitism issues since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel, Krishnamoorthi has sometimes voted against legislation supported by Jewish and pro-Israel groups, but his record on those issues has been stronger than Kelly’s. On several occasions when the two have voted differently, Krishnamoorthi has sided with positions supported by leading Jewish and pro-Israel groups.

Krishnamoorthi was endorsed by AIPAC in his 2024 reelection race; Kelly was not.

* The Daily Northwestern…

[Miracle Jenkins], an Evanston native, Democratic political organizer and 31-year-old father, joined the crowded Democratic primary to compete for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s (D-Evanston) open seat for 2026 in early June, announcing his candidacy via a June 10 YouTube video. The barbecue served as the campaign’s official in-person launch event.

His congressional campaign, “Miracle for the Future,” reaches every corner he’s lived in the 9th district, from his early childhood home in Chicago’s Uptown to his move to Evanston at age 10. […]

Rebecca Johnson, (SPS ’25) one of the campaign’s managers, said she first met Jenkins while working on Toni Preckwinkle’s Chicago mayoral campaign in 2019.

She pointed to his political prowess as a deputy political director for Schakowsky’s 2018 reelection campaign and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, as well as his own homegrown experience, as integral to his leadership.

“Who better than Miracle, who grew up here in two different parts of the district and saw how different (they) are from each other,” Johnson said. “He just wants to make it equal, not just for the 9th Congressional District, but for everybody.”

* More…

* WSPY | Davis opts out of congressional run, stays in state race: 75th District State Representative Jed Davis says he’s running again for the Illinois Statehouse. The announcement means Davis won’t be pursuing a run for Congress in the 14th District. “Congress was a serious consideration, but my heart remains with the people of this district, so [I’m] running for reelection as State Representative,” Davis said. “As with all elections, the results rest in the people’s hands.”