Live dataIllinois · 2026 U.S. Senate

Know the problem. Know the candidates. Then vote.

Non-partisan data for Illinois, drawn from public records and thousands of news stories.

Public databases
12
Behind 20 measured problems
News stories on problems
969
Read and scored one by one
News stories on candidates
1,537
Checked against their public record

The 5 biggest problems in Illinois

Measured from public government data. Not from opinions or headlines.

  1. 1Pollution & Public Health

    Among the 3 worst states.

    Critical87/100
  2. 2Job Availability

    Worse here than in 42 other states.

    Critical68/100
  3. 3Transportation & Traffic

    Worse here than in 43 other states.

    Critical66/100
  4. 4Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality

    Worse here than in 41 other states.

    Moderate63/100
  5. 5Food Insecurity

    Worse here than in 38 other states.

    Moderate61/100
See all 20 problems →

Where the news gets Illinois wrong

We compare what the data says with what the news covers.

  • Transportation & TrafficUnder-covered

    The data says transportation & traffic is a bigger problem in Illinois than the news coverage suggests.

  • AI Displacement RiskUnder-covered

    The data says ai displacement risk is a bigger problem in Illinois than the news coverage suggests.

  • Grid ReliabilityUnder-covered

    The data says grid reliability is a bigger problem in Illinois than the news coverage suggests.

See every problem compared →

Who is running in Illinois

Ranked by Leadership Score — how news coverage describes their leadership. 100 is the best score any leader in U.S. history would earn.

  1. Juliana Stratton
    DemocratParty nominee

    41

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  2. Don Tracy
    RepublicanParty nominee

    27

    Leadership Score (WATT)

Detail breakdown
MeasureJuliana StrattonDon Tracy
Leadership Score41.2 / 10027.4 / 100
Credit for strengths in the news+65.8+37.8
Deduction for criticism in the news−24.6−10.3
News stories analysed51496
Record ScoreNo voting record — has not served in CongressNo voting record — has not served in Congress

Look at the details

Everything above, with the numbers behind it.

Longer bar means bigger problem

Ranked by government data alone, ignoring headlines and politics. 0 means the problem does not exist. 100 means it is as bad as it gets. The dotted line is the average across all 50 states.

1. Pollution & Public Health
87 (Critical)Worse than average
2. Job Availability
68 (Critical)Worse than average
3. Transportation & Traffic
66 (Critical)Worse than average
4. Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality
63 (Moderate)Worse than average
5. Food Insecurity
61 (Moderate)Worse than average
6. Political Polarization
59 (Moderate)Worse than average
7. Cost of Living & Inflation
57 (Moderate)Worse than average
8. Climate Vulnerability
55 (Moderate)Worse than average
9. Water Scarcity
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
10. AI Displacement Risk
50 (Lower)Better than average