Springfield attorney and former chair of the Illinois Republican Party Don Tracy announced Wednesday he is running for U.S. Senate — adding to a field of candidates making a bid for outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.

Democrats across the country are searching for a winning message in the 2026 elections, but Illinois Democrats say they’re already found one.

With U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and others not seeking reelection in 2026, robust fields are growing in the Democratic primaries for the open seats. But on the Republican side, it’s a ghost town in primary races for statewide offices so far.

Longtime lawmaker Dick Durbin announced plans to retire after five terms in the U.S. Senate. He joined “Chicago Tonight” for a wide-ranging interview.

Pritzker’s comments came amid escalating tensions over the Texas redistricting drama. Earlier in the day, according to the New York Times, Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, said the FBI had agreed to his request to help locate the absent Texas lawmakers.

Authorities are investigating after a threat was allegedly made Wednesday against Texas House Democrats who fled to Illinois in an effort to block a Republican redistricting effort in their home state.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers from Texas fled the state for Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to block an effort by Republicans to redraw congressional districts. The plan, backed by President Donald Trump, would increase the number of Republican-leaning congressional seats by five.

The word “gerrymander" was coined in America more than 200 years ago as an unflattering means of describing political manipulation in legislative map-making. The word has stood the test of time, in part, because American politics has remained fiercely competitive.

There promises to be nothing boring about the Illinois race to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who will retire in 2027 after 30 years in office.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender who has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics during his second term, had been in quiet talks with Texas Democrats for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state.

Davis, 83, will leave Congress as one of the most senior members of the House of Representatives and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.

A letter led by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to six of Trump’s cabinet secretaries asks administration officials to explain why they are cutting programs to help Americans pay for high energy costs, while passing a tax cut bill that eliminated incentives for cheaper forms of energy like wind and solar.

President Donald Trump is facing backlash from his supporters over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The fallout comes following congressional Republicans’ success in clawing back funds from foreign aid and public media and the passage of the president’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.”

At a union hall on Chicago’s South Side, a powerful Democratic Party organization decided who to endorse in the March 17 primary in one key statewide race.

Gov. JB Pritzker called the little-known former state representative “a proven leader with deep experience, steady judgment, and an unshakable commitment to the working families of Illinois.”

If he wins a third term, Gov. JB Pritzker will become only the second Illinois governor to serve more than two terms.