April 23, 2025
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — With Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announcing today that he will be retiring at the end of his term, leaving the Illinois Senate seat open, Representative Underwood, a nurse and public health expert, is the strongest potential candidate. Last month, 314 Action Fund released the findings of a new poll, showing Rep. Underwood leads in every test with voters.
“Senator Durbin has been an indisputable champion for Illinois, delivering time and time again for the state—while no one can fill his shoes, voters are ready for the next generation of bold leadership,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action Fund. “It’s clear that voters trust Representative Underwood to continue his legacy. Her voice and STEM expertise is crucial to make real, lasting change on the issues facing Americans every day.”
- In the initial 4-way ballot, Representative Underwood and Representative Krishnamoorthi are statistically tied with 33% and 30%, respectively, followed by 16% for Lieutenant Governor Stratton and 10% for Representative Kelly. The remaining 10% are undecided.
- If Representative Kelly was not to run, Representative Underwood picks up the most of her voters, with 45% of her voters moving to Underwood.
- In the 3-way ballot, Representative Underwood leads by 7 points – 39% to 32% for Krishnamoorthi, and 19% for Stratton.
- After providing voters with more information about each of the candidates, pulling from bio information each candidate has used, Representative Underwood extends her lead in the 4-way ballot, with 42% of the vote, followed by Representative. Krishnamoorthi at 25%, Stratton at 19%, 9% supporting Kelly, and 4% are undecided.
- Representative Underwood has the highest name ID of the field – 77% of primary voters identify her by name, 57% know her well enough to offer an opinion of her, and those opinions are almost entirely positive – 53% favorable, 4% unfavorable, 20% neutral.
This poll surveyed 773 likely 2026 Democratic primary voters in Illinois from March 24-27, 2026. The margin of error, as traditionally calculated, is ±3.53% for the full sample.
314 Action Fund is the only national organization working to elect Democrats with backgrounds in science and medicine across all levels of government—from the Senate down to local school boards. The organization is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people supporting scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care.
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