Listed are Carroll County Democratic Central Committee Recommendations for the Tuesday, March 17, 2026, Primary Election. Some of these endorsed Primary Election Democrat candidates are also listed on the Whiteside County Primary ballot.
We have ten people on the ballot seeking the single Democratic nomination for United Stated Senator. They are all good people with good ideas. We evaluated four, based on their overall qualifications.
1. Our first choice for U. S. Senator is Congresswoman Robin Kelly. She has been elected six consecutive times to the House and is a member of the Medicare for All Caucus. She is a graduate of Bradly University and earned a Doctorate in Political Science. Having met and talked with her several times, we believe she could accomplish the most for Illinois.
2. Juliana Stratton is also running for U. S. Senator. Currently our Lt. Governor, she is a former State Legislator. She supports Medicare for All; a $25 minimum wage; a millionaire tax; expanding the child tax credit. She has worked to improve access to Early Childhood Education. She has been endorsed by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren.
3. Raja Krisbamoorthi has been in Congress for eight years. He is a Lawyer and has degrees from Princeton and Harvard Universities. His television commercials are good, but obviously very expensive. So, who is footing the bill and why? Julianna Stratton noted that the CEO of Palatir Technologies, Alex Karp, has donated tens of thousands to elect Raja. Why would he do that? Peter Thiel, a multi-billionaire, got J. D. Vance the Vice President slot and spent a fortune to elect Trump. He is a founder of Palatir Tech, which makes platforms and software used by ICE, our Military, the Israeli military, etc. Palatir can determine which Democrat candidate could win a Primary, that the Republican candidate could defeat. That is an expensive way to win a Senate seat. It also could explain why a radical right Republican would support a Democrat in the Illinois Primary.
4. Kevin Ryan attender our Fall Fest and gave a excellent speech. He teaches English in the Chicago public schools. His message was that we need to get big money out of our politics. We liked his message and hope he continues to be engaged.
For Comptroller we heartily endorse Holly Kim, because she has the experience and has worked with our current Comptroller, Suzanna Mendosa. Kim has a college degree and was elected three times to be Lake County Treasurer. She has handled billions of dollars in public funds. She is an excellent guardian of the taxpayers’ money.
Unopposed for the State Senate 45th District is Joseph “Joe” Berning. We are proud to have him on our ballot. He was raised on a farm in Jo Daviess County and had a career in a large company, before starting his own successful business. He lives in Galena. Joe believes our Legislators should have Town Halls and listen to their constituents. His public appearances, including a speech to the Carroll County Democrats, have highlighted themes such as “Medicare for Everyone.”
Our last recommendation is to VOTE NO, on the Carroll County Federal Scholarship TAX CREDIT Advisory Referendum. As a matter of Law, our public schools already provide the help Special Education students need. Their educational plan is developed by the parents, their student, and teachers, as well as a Psychologist and Principal. A YES VOTE would divert funds from our public schools and foist a taxi increase, by unnecessarily duplicating services.
Others running unopposed are Maurice West and Pamela Davidson for State Central Committee and those running for Precinct committee. Please give them a vote of appreciation for the work they do for our Democratic Party.