* Just ahead of the end of the quarterly reporting period comes a poll from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association…

Date: September 29, 2025

A poll of likely Democratic primary voters in Illinois finds that the race for U.S. Senate is beginning to take shape as a two-person race. After spending more than $3 million, Raja Krishnamoorthi has opened up a name identification advantage on the rest of the field. Our polling continues to find that voters find the message of Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton appealing.

Some key findings from the survey include:

● 41% of voters say they are undecided in the Senate primary. Raja Krishnamoorthi leads at 33% of the vote compared to 18% for Juliana Stratton, and 8% for Robin Kelly.
● Since our May poll, Raja Krishnamoorthi has spent more than $3 million on television. That spending has resulted in a gain in recognition, from 50% name identification to 62%. That increase in name ID has allowed him to gain 13 points from our May poll, moving from 20% to 33%.
● Juliana Stratton has spent nothing on television ads and gained 5 points since May, moving from 13% to 18%. Robin Kelly has lost a point of support.
● After voters learn more about the background and message of Juliana Stratton, 74% say they would be more likely to support her and she vaults into the lead with 45%, Krishnamoorthi drops to 18%, while Kelly earns only 4%.

Public Policy Polling surveyed 576 likely Democratic primary voters from September 25-26, 2025. The margin of error is +/- 4.1%. 77% of the interviews for the survey were conducted by text message and 23% by landline

Looks like the LG group is trying to make the case that Robin Kelly should drop out. I don’t blame them for that, but I also don’t yet see any evidence of that ever happening.

* Politico…

Melissa Bean has been endorsed by Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) in the race for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District seat. “As Donald Trump and Republicans drive up costs and gut our healthcare, we need fighters in Washington who will work day and night to defend working families,” Foster said in a statement. “I’ve seen Melissa take on and win some of the toughest battles — beating an anti-choice incumbent in one of Illinois’ reddest districts, fighting to pass the Affordable Care Act and passing reforms to hold Wall Street accountable.”

* From an email sent by Hoan Huynh’s congressional campaign team to a prospective donor and then forwarded to me…

Um, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act was signed into law in September of 2021. Huynh didn’t take office until January of 2023.

* More from Isabel…

* Sun-Times | Senate candidate Robin Kelly releases ‘people over profits’ policy platform: Kelly’s platform — with more than five months to go before the March 17 primary — focuses on fighting for affordability in healthcare, housing and childcare. “These are things, some of them that I’ve been working on for awhile, but I did tele-town hall meetings and town hall meetings, spoke to constituents when I was in the grocery store shopping myself and also meetings that we’ve had in D.C. with other Democrats,” Kelly told the Sun-Times. “These are the topics that came up most often. I am very concerned about ICE, definitely, and other things, but these are the topics that people think about, worry about every day.”

* Shaw Local | La Salle Dems forum tackles healthcare, economy, campaign Reform: Krishnamoorthi opened the event by describing growing up in an immigrant family and the struggles his family faced, but overcame the challenges by receiving government assistance. “Every night at the dinner table [my father] would remind us of the following,” he said. “He would say think of the greatness of this country….and whatever the two of you do, my brother and me, just make sure it’s there for the next families who need it.”

* Advantage News | Raley drops out of congressional race: A former St. Louis radio personality and one-time congressional candidate is dropping out of the race for Illinois’ 15th District seat. In a social media post over the weekend, Randy Raley said a recent health scare has brought him to the decision to bow out. Specifically, Raley stated he had recently suffered a heart attack, and the prognosis is that it will happen again. He says the cardiologist discovered a problem with one of the blood vessels in his heart. It is too small to stent, and it has blockage. There is at least one other Democrat that has announced a run for that same office: Edwardsville’s Jennifer Todd. Illinois 15th District seat is currently held by Republican Mary Miller.

* Evanston Roundtable | Biss picks new names for Finance and Budget, after incumbent asks ‘too late’ for second term: The city’s Finance and Budget Committee is set to have new resident members for the first time since its creation, albeit with opposition from at least four councilmembers to one of Mayor Daniel Biss’ selections, Candance Chow. Biss picked Chow, a recent council candidate, over incumbent Leslie McMillan, who says she intended to apply for a second term but apparently did so too late. […] The appointees gave similar responses: McGuire said her donation had “zero to do” with her selection, and Chow said she “absolutely” doesn’t think there’s a link. “Yes, I support Daniel Biss for Congress … I also want to continue to support and serve Evanston,” Chow said. “And certainly, there’s no linkage between one and the other.”