This morning, Illinois Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth announced she will challenge GOP Sen. Mark Kirk in 2016. Although Illinois's Senate race is likely to be highly competitive, Democrats are in a very strong position to hold Duckworth's seat. In 2012, state Democrats redrew Duckworth's seat in the northwest Chicago suburbs to be heavily Democratic. The seat is now nearly majority non-white and gave President Obama 58 percent of the vote in 2012. The race to replace Duckworth will almost certainly be decided in the Democratic primary, scheduled for next March. Among the possible contenders are Raja Krishnamoorthi, a former deputy state treasurer who lost to Duckworth in the 2012 primary, state Sen. Tom Cullerton of DuPage County (the cousin of state Senate President John Cullerton), and state Sen. Mike Noland of Elgin. The seat remains in our Solid Democratic column.
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