AIPAC Aftershocks & Pritzker’s ’28 Coup

A tidal wave of outside spending is flooding Democratic races. But as last week’s contest in Illinois suggests, big-money influence has its limits, especially where AIPAC and the A.I. industry are concerned. And while JB Pritzker’s $6 million intervention in the Senate primary won him recognition, it earned him some new enemies, too.

Gov. Pritzker and his family spent more than $6 million to boost Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in her Senate primary against Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who had a $30 million war chest. Illinois Democrats largely trust Pritzker, who is in his eighth year as governor and almost certainly running for president, so it seems those dollars were tolerable. Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Abby Livingston

March 23, 2026

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Last week, on St. Patrick’s Day, the entire Democratic establishment watched as Illinois voters went to the polls to select their midterm nominees. The primary races had been absolutely besieged by outside spending from groups aligned with Israel, crypto, and the A.I. industry—not to mention from the state’s own billionaire governor, JB Pritzker. With the 2026 midterms expected to be the most expensive on record and control of the House (and possibly the Senate) up for grabs, political professionals were desperate to understand which messages had resonated with Democratic voters and whether those big-money influence campaigns had made a difference.