Not one of the three leading Democratic candidates to replace Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois would commit to backing Chuck Schumer as the Democratic leader in the Senate—but all of them said they’d get rid of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Monday night’s hourlong debate offered a preview of the messages that Democrats are hoping to use against President Donald Trump in the 2026 midterm elections, and also hinted at some of the rifts within the Democratic Party as it selects nominees in contested races.
"I want to abolish ICE," said the lieutenant governor of Illinois, Juliana Stratton.
"Abolish Trump’s ICE," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is also running.
"Dismantle ICE," said Rep. Robin Kelly, the third candidate.
Stratton said she wouldn’t back Schumer as leader in the Senate because "we need fighters, not folders." The other two candidates said they were undecided about reelecting Schumer.
The candidates were pressed by debate moderators to name something on which they agreed with Trump. Krishnamoorthi said he agreed with the need to restore manufacturing jobs to the United States. "The Chinese Communist Party made it their plan," he said, to "weaponize their monopoly."
Kelly said she supported the Trump administration’s emphasis on "fresh vegetables and fruit," and on "exercise and eating properly."
Asked about Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, a tax-raising leftist who was elected in 2023 over more moderate Paul Vallas, Krishnamoorthi said he was reserving judgment and would look for results in economic development and addressing "people’s legitimate fears about crime."
Stratton claimed credit for having "lifted the moratorium on nuclear energy plants" in Illinois.
Krishnamoorthi floated the idea of a "$2,500 tax credit" to help first-time homebuyers. He also said, "We have to give property tax relief."
Krishnamoorthi said he arrived in the United States as a three-month-old immigrant and his family lived in public housing and was on food stamps before his dad finally got a job in Peoria and "made it into the middle class."
Stratton attacked her opponents, especially Krishnamoorthi, for accepting "corporate PAC money." The other two candidates said Stratton’s super PAC was accepting "dark money."
Stratton also attacked Krishnamoorthi for backing a resolution praising ICE, but Krishnamoorthi noted that it was mainly a resolution condemning anti-Semitism after a firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado. "I’m going to condemn anti-Semitism eight days out of the week," Krishnamoorthi said.
Aside from the reference to a Chinese takeover of manufacturing, foreign policy didn’t come up at all in the debate, which was moderated by Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times and Jennifer Steinhauer of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.
Polls have shown Krishnamoorthi leading in the race, though the state’s Democratic governor, J.B. Pritzker, is backing Stratton. Early voting begins February 5 in the March 17 primary. It’s considered a safe seat for the Democrats to hold. Durbin is 81 and was elected to the seat in 1996 when another Democrat, Paul Simon, retired.
