Stratton wins Illinois Senate primary, defeating crypto-backed Krishnamoorthi
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is now likely to be the next Senator from Illinois, after defeating Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who enjoyed major backing from crypto PAC Fairshake.
By Nikhilesh DeUpdated Mar 18, 2026, 3:27 a.m. Published Mar 18, 2026, 3:03 a.m.
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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 close to $10 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 for Illinois' 7th District House seat 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.
Three Fairshake-backed candidates did win their Illinois primary races on Tuesday: Donna Miller in the 2nd House District; Melissa Bean in the 8th House District and Nikki Budzinski in the 13th House District. Fairshake spent around $800,000 against Roger Peters, who as of press time was coming in a distant third in the IL-2 race; about $560,000 to support Bean in the IL-8 race through its Protect Progress affiliate and under $84,000 to support incumbent Rep. Budzinski in the IL-13 race, according to figures compiled by Follow the Crypto.
In a statement, Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter said, "We congratulate pro-crypto leaders like Donna Miller, Melissa Bean, and Rep. Nikki Budzinski. We’re proud to take on tough fights at this critical moment for American innovation and consumers. Tonight, Illinois voters have elected more pro-crypto members of Congress and we are just getting started in our nationwide fight for American innovation."
He did not immediately return a request for comment on the Senate or 7th District races, or on Ford's allegations.
UPDATE (March 18, 2026, 03:08 UTC): Amends amount spent by Fairshake in Illinois Senate primary.
UPDATE (March 18, 2026, 03:27 UTC): Adds Fairshake statement and additional detail about races it's supported.
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