Majority (84%) Undecided in Republican Senate Primary
A new Emerson College Polling/WGN-TV survey of Illinois voters who plan to participate in the March 17, 2026 primary finds 31% support Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic nomination for US Senate, 10% Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, and 8% Rep. Robin Kelly. A plurality of voters (46%) are undecided ahead of the primary.
“With just over two months until the Democratic primary contest to replace retiring Senator Durbin, Krishnamoorthi’s support is driven by voters over 50, 42% of whom support the congressman, and male primary voters, 41% of whom support him,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Nearly half of women, 49%, are undecided when it comes to who to support, while 26% support Krishnamoorthi, 13% Stratton, and 8% Kelly.”
The Republican Senate contest has no clear front-runner: 6% support Don Tracy, 3% Jimmy Tillman, 3% Jeannie Evans, and a majority (84%) are undecided. In the Republican primary to face incumbent Governor JB Pritzker, 34% of primary voters support 2022 candidate Darren Bailey, while 8% support Ted Dabrowski, 5% James Mendrick, and 46% are undecided.
Governor Pritzker holds a 51% job approval and 42% disapproval rating among primary voters, while President Trump holds a 39% approval and 55% disapproval rating.
Voters were asked how Governor Pritzker’s endorsement of a candidate influences their vote: 24% are more likely to support a candidate endorsed by Pritzker, while 38% are less likely. Pritzker’s endorsement makes no impact for 38% of voters. When asked about President Trump’s endorsement, 29% are more likely to support a candidate backed by Trump, while 52% are less likely. Trump’s endorsement has no impact on 18% of voters.
The economy is the most important issue for Illinois primary voters at 40%, followed by healthcare (13%), threats to democracy (13%), and immigration (10%).
“The economy emerges as the top issue for voters in both parties, cited by 38% of Democratic primary voters and 43% of Republican primary voters. Beyond that shared priority, the parties diverge sharply: Democratic voters place greater emphasis on healthcare (18% to 6%) and threats to democracy (21% to 3%), while Republican voters are more focused on crime (12% to 5%) and immigration (20% to 3%),” Kimball said.
A majority (58%) of respondents say it is important for the Chicago Bears stadium to stay in Illinois, while 42% find it not important. When asked if they would support or oppose using public funding to help build a new stadium for the Bears in Illinois, 32% support the use of public funds, 58% oppose, and 10% are unsure.
“Younger voters are most adamant that the Bears stadium stays in Illinois: 79% of those under 30 find it important that the Bears stay in Illinois, compared to 52% of those over 70,” Kimball noted.
Thirty-two percent of respondents expect public transportation in Illinois to worsen in 2026, 26% expect it to improve, and 42% are unsure. Public transportation users are more optimistic: 46% of those who regularly use public transit in Illinois expect it to improve, while 25% expect it to worsen.
Nearly all primary voters (94%) think it is important that candidates running for office participate in a debate prior to the November election, while 6% find it unimportant.
Methodology
The Emerson College Polling/WGN-TV Illinois survey was conducted January 3-5, 2026. The overall sample of Illinois likely primary voters, n=1,000, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3 percentage points. The Democratic Primary consists of a sample size of n=568, with a credibility interval of +/-4%. The Republican Primary consists of a sample size of n=432, with a credibility interval of +/-4.7%. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, and region based on U.S. Census parameters and voter file data.
It is important to remember that subsets based on demographics, such as gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity, carry with them higher credibility intervals, as the sample size is reduced. Survey results should be understood within the poll’s range of scores, and with a confidence interval of 95% a poll will fall outside the range of scores 1 in 20 times.
Data was collected by contacting a voter list of cellphones via MMS-to-web text (lists provided by Aristotle), and an online panel of voters provided by Commonwealth Opinions Panel and PureSpectrum. Panel responses were matched to the Aristotle voter file using respondents’ full name and ZIP code. The survey was offered in English.
All questions asked in this survey with exact wording and order, along with full results, demographics, and cross tabulations can be found below. The survey was sponsored by WGN-TV/Nexstar Media.
