Illinois' $50 million primary experiment

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is competing against Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly in Illinois' Democratic Senate primary Tuesday to replace Sen. Dick Durbin. Krishnamoorthi has spent more than $28 million compared to around $1 million each by his opponents, while crypto PAC Fairshake has spent $7.7 million on TV ads mostly attacking Stratton. Stratton has backing from a super PAC supported by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that spent close to $13 million on her behalf and holds endorsements from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The race will test whether superior fundraising translates to victory, similar to recent Texas primaries where better-funded candidates prevailed. The winner of this heavily Democratic seat will almost certainly become Illinois' next senator.