In a survey of more than 1,200 likely Illinois voters, carried out between November 20 and 25 and seen by Fox 32, Chicago-based Victory Research put Pritzker at 54.3 percent of the vote, compared to 34 percent for GOP candidate Darren Bailey.

Multiple members of Congress from Illinois are not running for re-election to their seats in 2026. That will leave several open seats up for grabs, at least among sizable Democratic primary candidate fields. Whoever Illinois Democratic primary voters elect to those seats could hint at where the party is headed more broadly in the future.

Government watchdog group Common Cause Illinois is urging lawmakers to close what it calls an “anti-democratic” loophole after Democrat Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García cleared the path for his chief of staff to run unopposed.

There was yet another sign this week of a potential 2026 wave that could hand control of the House of Representatives to Democrats.