Stratton wins Illinois Senate primary, defeating crypto-backed Krishnamoorthi

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is poised to become the next Senator from the state after winning the Democratic primary Tuesday night, defeating Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.

Krishnamoorthi had received north of $8 million in backing from crypto super-political action committee (PAC) Fairshake, among other entities, while Stratton was backed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Illinois’ senate seat is rated a “Solid Democratic” seat by Cook Political Report, meaning the winner of Tuesday’s primary will most likely win the general election this November and represent the Prairie State in the Senate in 2027.

Fairshake’s ads largely attacked Stratton, rather than supporting Krishnamoorthi directly, a strategy it also employed in the 2024 election. The PAC typically supports candidates in primaries for races they’re likely to win, letting it boast that the vast majority of its backed candidates won elections in 2024.

Stand With Crypto, a Coinbase-backed group that assigns rates to lawmakers based on how crypto-friendly they are, gave Stratton an “F” ranking based on a single statement she made about her primary opponent receiving backing from “MAGA-backed crypto bros.” The rating notes that she has not voted on any crypto bills or otherwise made statements about crypto generally.

Krishnamoorthi received an “A” rating based on his voting record and his responses to a questionnaire sent out by the group.

Another candidate Fairshake opposed, La Shawn Ford, won his primary race as well, according to the Associated Press. Fairshake spent nearly $2 million opposing Ford’s race for the House of Representatives. Ford’s team sent the PAC a cease-and-desist alleging Fairshake’s ads were “defamatory,” according to the Forest Park Review.

A spokesperson for Fairshake did not immediately return a request for comment on either race, or on Ford’s allegations.