Primary election results and recent polling offer a glimmer of hope voters are ready to address the greatest challenge facing the city, and the CTU’s destructive stranglehold over the city’s schools
If there was one unequivocal winner in last week’s Democratic primary, it was Governor J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker bet big on his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, in the open U.S. Senate primary, backing her with his endorsement and millions of dollars in outside spending through his Illinois Future PAC. The most unequivocal loser was the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), which saw seven of the 13 candidates it endorsed lose contested seats. That outcome offers hope that voters are beginning to grasp the danger the CTU poses to the future of the city’s children.
Super PACs tied to the pro‑Israel lobby, the cryptocurrency industry, and emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence also spent heavily in Illinois, with mixed results. None could claim a sweeping victory. In the most important races, ideological differences among Democrats were minimal — nearly all ran as assertive anti‑Trump candidates, leaving little daylight on national issues. Stratton’s edge came not from a unique message but from Pritzker’s financial war chest and the mechanics of a crowded primary.
Many Illinoisans are understandably frustrated with an electoral system that entrenches incumbents, discourages challengers, and depresses voter turnout — while underwritten by special‑interest Super PACs and Pritzker’s seemingly unlimited campaign funds. Yet within that uncompetitive landscape, this primary did offer a ray of light for those who want accountability in education policy: the CTU’s political machine extended its losing streak.