Last updated March 17 at 10:03 p.m.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton leads the Democratic primary race to succeed outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Stratton has 39.5% of the vote with 81% of ballots counted, according to data from the Associated Press last updated at 9:33 p.m. The AP called the race in favor of Stratton at 9:38 p.m.
Stratton will face Republican nominee Don Tracy in the Nov. 3 general election.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg) follows with 33.6% of the vote, according to the AP.
Durbin has held the seat since 1997. His retirement announcement in April launched a historic race with 16 candidates, including 10 Democrats and six Republicans, vying to replace him.
Stratton, Illinois’ second in command, previously represented the 5th District in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Throughout the race, her platform has focused on lowering the cost of living in Illinois and expanding career and educational opportunities for the middle class.
Stratton most notably received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and Gov. JB Pritzker.
Earlier this month, Stratton visited Evanston’s Free Flow Kitchen, meeting local voters and encouraging them to vote in this week’s primary election.
Stratton also attended a Chicago debate hosted by WTTW alongside her front-running opponents, Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Matteson), where they critiqued each other’s stances on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and discussed campaign finance reform.
According to the Federal Election Commission’s year-end reports, Krishnamoorthi stayed far ahead of his primary opponents in terms of fundraising, with nearly $30.5 million compared to Stratton’s $4 million in second place.
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