Political TV ad season is coming to Illinois early this election cycle.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi hit the airwaves Tuesday in the heavyweight Democratic fight to replace outgoing Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, with a 30-second spot running statewide a full eight months before the March 17, 2026, primary.
The northwest suburban congressman attacks President Donald Trump in the ad, not his Democratic primary opponents, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton or fellow U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.
“Bullies like Trump can call us names, but you can just call me Raja,” he says in the first of many commercials that are sure to blanket television and streaming platforms for months to come in the hotly contested race.
Though Krishnamoorthi’s campaign did not confirm he’s the first Senate candidate in the nation to start airing TV ads this cycle, he’s certainly among the earliest political birds poking the 2026 broadcast worm. A spokesperson said the first week of the ad buy will cost his campaign $500,000.
That’s the benefit of being one of the most prolific political fundraisers in Congress. Krishnamoorthi’s latest quarterly haul beefed up his campaign committee’s bottom line to $21 million.
Kelly’s campaign entered July with nearly $2.5 million on hand.
Stratton raised more than $1 million in her first quarter of federal fundraising, and she has been endorsed in the race by billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
Krishnamoorthi has touted the backing of dozens of local Democratic officials, while Kelly is backed by 18 of her congressional colleagues, including U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill.
Durbin, who’s retiring after five terms, hasn’t publicly endorsed anyone.
The Senate candidates will make their cases for the all-important backing of the Cook County Democratic Party at a slating event Friday.
Contributing: Tina Sfondeles
