Fairshake spends $10 million against Stratton in Illinois' U.S. Senate race

The biggest outside spending effort in Illinois' U.S. Senate race isn't trying to elect anyone. Its aim is to stop Juliana Stratton.

Fairshake, a super PAC, has spent $10 million opposing Stratton, according to Federal Election Commission records of independent expenditures. That ranks first among every pairing of outside spender and Senate candidate in the race, and no group has spent more to help anyone. Fairshake's affiliated PAC, Protect Progress, has spent more against her on top of that (The American Prospect).

Stratton is also the candidate outside groups have worked hardest to lift. Illinois Future PAC has spent $8.9 million supporting her, nearly all of the $9.1 million that outside groups have put behind her. Those efforts, for and against her, tower over everything else in the race.

A Senate race fought over one name

Add it all up and Stratton has drawn $10.5 million in outside spending against her. Of all the outside money spent about her, for or against, 53.6% has gone to opposing her.

The money backing her does not stop at super PACs. JB Pritzker, described by The American Prospect as a billionaire with potential 2028 White House ambitions, has put his own money toward Stratton's campaign (The American Prospect). That money goes to her campaign and is not part of the independent spending tallied here.

Illinois Future PAC has also turned its fire on Raja Krishnamoorthi, spending $3.3 million against him. That matches, in the rounded figures, the $3.3 million that all outside groups combined have spent opposing him.

Robin Kelly has attracted $1.3 million in outside support. The Impact Fund spent $795,256 of that. The Prospect described The Impact Fund as an arm of Indian American Impact that has spent to support Kelly and oppose Stratton (The American Prospect).

Some of the help for Kelly comes from unexpected corners. Protect Progress, the same PAC tied to Fairshake, spent in favor of both Kelly and Krishnamoorthi (The American Prospect). And Progressive Values Illinois, a PAC backed by Krishnamoorthi supporters, has spent to support Kelly and oppose Stratton, whom the Prospect called Krishnamoorthi's main competitor (The American Prospect). Its spending against Stratton totals $197,726.

Missing from the Senate ledger is one of the most familiar names in Chicagoland politics. Unlike in the area's House races, the Senate race has received no direct money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Prospect reported (The American Prospect).

In a Chicago-area House race, one group outspends the rest

In one of the Chicagoland House races, the contest that includes Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the largest outside effort runs the other direction: toward a candidate. United Democracy Project has spent $5 million supporting Conyears-Ervin. That ranks first among the race's pairings of spender and candidate.

Fairshake is in this race, too, on the opposing side. It has spent $2.5 million against La Shawn Ford. Even so, Fairshake's spending against Stratton far outweighs what it has put into the other Illinois races, according to the Prospect (The American Prospect).

Further down the list, United We Can has spent $538,365 supporting Anthony Driver Jr., and Stronger Illinois PAC has spent $348,448 backing Jason Friedman.

A group with a track record

Fairshake has gone after a Senate candidate before. It spent millions opposing former California Rep. Katie Porter's 2024 Senate campaign, and she lost that primary (The American Prospect).

None of these groups is on the ballot. In the Senate race, though, more of their money has been spent for and against Stratton than for or against anyone else.

About the data

We used Federal Election Commission totals of independent expenditures for Illinois' U.S. Senate race over its 2021–2026 election period and for the Chicago-area U.S. House race that includes Melissa Conyears-Ervin over its 2025–2026 cycle. We grouped spending by spender, candidate and whether it supported or opposed that candidate, then ranked those pairings by total spent; reporting from The American Prospect supplied background on the groups.

• FEC totals reflect filings processed so far, so recent spending may not yet appear.
• Independent expenditures do not include money given directly to campaigns, such as JB Pritzker's personal contributions to Stratton's campaign.
• The figures show who spent and how much, not whether the spending changed any voter's mind.

Independent expenditure: money spent by an outside group to support or oppose a candidate without coordinating with any campaign. Super PAC: a political committee that can raise and spend unlimited sums on independent expenditures but cannot give directly to candidates.

Sources

• Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API: U.S. Senate, IL (2026): outside spending (independent expenditures) by spender and candidate (2021–2026 Senate election period (FEC election_full)), latest period 2026; retrieved Oct. 21, 2026. Data
• Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC API: U.S. House, IL-07 (2026): outside spending (independent expenditures) by spender and candidate (2025–2026 election cycle), latest period 2026; retrieved Oct. 21, 2026. Data