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Illinois Primary Races We're Watching

Posted on March 15, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
City Cast Chicago staff

City Cast Chicago staff

A Chicago voter shows ''I voted'' sticker for 2024 primary elections

A Chicago voter shows ''I voted'' sticker for 2024 primary elections. (Jacek Boczarski / Anadolu / Getty)

Voters have a lot of big decisions to make Tuesday — from contested races to a controversial ballot measure. After you figure out where you're going to vote on Election Day, the City Cast Chicago team is ready to walk you through the races we're watching.

City Cast

Tax Referendum is Back, Migrant Shelter Complaints, and Students Open Farm

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Chicagoans will decide whether to raise the tax on property sales over $1 million to fight homelessness. If the binding referendum passes, it is will be the first in Chicago in almost 140 years — and it hasn't been exactly smooth sailing to get it on the ballot.

Headshots of University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III and former state appellate justice Eileen O’Neill Burke

University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III and former state appellate justice Eileen O’Neill Burke are running to be the county's top prosecutor. (Courtesy of the Harris and O'Neill Burke campaigns)

City Cast

Who Will Be Cook County's Next Top Prosecutor?

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Who will replace outgoing State's Attorney Kim Foxx? University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III and former state appellate justice Eileen O’Neill Burke have been vying to be Cook County's next top prosecutor in one of the more high-profile races on the Democratic ballot.

City Cast

What’s Next for Prosecutor’s Office After Kim Foxx?

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Headshots of community organizer Kina Collins and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis

Community organizer Kina Collins is challenging U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in the Democratic primary in the Illinois 7th Congressional District — again. (Erin Hooley / Tribune / Getty)

City Cast

Congressional Rematch, School Board Election Plan, and Fantasy Fest Lineup

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  • Will the third time be the charm for activist Kina Collins to clinch the 7th District seat U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has held for almost 30 years? The incumbent is also facing a challenge from Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and two others in the Democratic primary.
  • In the 4th District, 15th Ward Ald. Ray Lopez is challenging U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" Garcia. The Democrats are pretty different ideologically.
  • Former state lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey wants U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's 12th District seat, one of the most conservative districts in Illinois.
The current Cook County Democratic Party committeepeople for Chicago’s 50 wards

The current Cook County Democratic Party committeepeople for Chicago’s 50 wards. (Cook County Democratic Party)

City Cast

3 Primary Races More Exciting Than President

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  • The Democratic race for a seat on the three-person Cook County Board of Review has turned into a proxy war between senior member Larry Rogers Jr. and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, who is backing challenger Larecia Tucker.
  • Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Y. Martinez is up against Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos, who is running to professionalize the office.
  • Ward committepeople, aka former ward bosses, are also on the ballot. But they don't hold anywhere close to the power they once did.
see more:elections

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