Republican Don Tracy is running for U.S Senate in Illinois with an emphasis on reducing the cost of living across the state, Capitol News Illinois reports.
Tracy, who defeated four opponents in the Republican primary in the spring, is running against Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
Tracy said the election centers around affordability, and sees that as an advantage for the Republican Party in Illinois.
“Democrats … and Republican politicos seem to agree this is a cost-of-living election,” Tracy said in the interview with Capitol News Illinois. “[I] believe that to be a winning message for Republicans, because everything Democrats do increases the cost of living.”
“I'm not sure there's a tax that they didn't want to increase and that increases the cost of living for all working families,” Tracy said, referring to Gov. JB Pritzker's administration.
Decreasing the cost of living for all working families is a point of emphasis for Tracy.
“I’m running to reduce the cost of living for all Illinoisans, especially working families,” Tracy said. “I’m running to champion common-sense solutions in Washington, D.C. instead of just big new spending programs, and I’m running to represent all of Illinois, not just one region.”
The former Illinois Republican Party chair said he's not entirely tying his campaign to President Donald Trump, who has not fared well in Illinois in previous elections. Despite winning two of three presidential elections, Trump lost Illinois by 17% twice and by 10.9% in 2024.
“His approval rating … will impact the election, but I'm running my own race. I'm not a proxy for anybody,” Tracy said. “Some of those issues I do differ with the president. I think you'll find that I do, but I'll just take it on an issue-by-issue basis.”
Tracy defended the U.S. war with Iran, saying it was necessary to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, even if it has led to higher gas prices.
"There is no gain without some pain," he said.
Trump’s likely impact on Illinois and the recent lack of Republican senators in Illinois do not favor Tracy, who sees himself as “the underdog in the race.”
Illinois has had only two Republican U.S. senators since 1985. That trend has continued as of late, with two Democrats in Durbin and Tammy Duckworth holding office since 1997 and 2017, respectively.
Tracy still believes that he has the best shot at defeating Stratton. He referenced former Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who served from 2010 to 2017, as a reason to believe the GOP can win statewide office again.
“The last time there was an open [U.S.] Senate seat, we won it, and that was Sen. Mark Kirk,” Tracy said.
The general election is Nov. 3.
