Our Daily Show Interview! Don Tracy: Republican Candidate for US Senate- IL
ILLINOIS – Republican Don Tracy is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, and he recently shared more about his platform, his major concerns, and his plan if he takes office.
Tracy previously ran for state senator as a Democrat before he realized his values aligned more closely with the Republican party. He also made a bid for lieutenant governor as a Republican in 2010. Now, he’s encouraging people to vote for him in the March 17, 2026, Republican primary.
“If Republicans want to turn this state around and make it a two-party state again and elect more Republicans, then they need to vote in the primary,” Tracy said. “We need to have a good, solid, experienced Illinois Republican win that seat. It’s really critical. Not everybody can win a seat statewide in Illinois as an Illinois Republican. I think I can. It takes the right kind of person, which I think I am.”
As Tracy has traveled up and down the state as a candidate and as chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, he has gained a better understanding of constituents’ concerns. Tracy pointed to cost of living as a major issue. He acknowledged that most people in the state, regardless of party or location, can agree that cost of living is high.
He believes the Democrat party is “on the march toward socialism” while Republicans are “working to reduce the cost of living for working families by actually reducing the cost of living as opposed to just spending more government money on more subsidies.”
He expressed his respect for President Donald Trump, specifically Trump’s positions on immigration, national defense, and his “Big Beautiful Bill.” But Tracy clarified he will work hard to make sure every vote he casts is in the best interest of his constituents.
“I really like a lot of what the current administration is doing. I’m really excited and I really like most of the cabinet picks,” he said. “But I’m not going to be a rubberstamp for anybody. I’m going to evaluate each and every issue on its own.”
Tracy criticized the Affordable Care Act as “anything but affordable” and argued that there should be more marketplace competition in healthcare.
He said he is interested in protecting “basic” welfare programs but also wants to end those that are “duplicative” and make sure those that stay are “financially sustainable” for future generations. He argued that there is a lot of fraud in these welfare programs and the government must focus on “solid eligibility,” not “the honor system.”
“There just aren’t sufficient guardrails, and there’s just so much money at stake,” he said. “Democrats are great about that. They love the honor system when it comes to welfare eligibility, when it comes to voting, when it comes to crime. Catch and release is kind of the honor system. We’ll let you out, we’ll trust you not to commit any more crimes. It’s just crazy.”
Tracy said that Pritzker led “a rebellion against the federal government coming in and enforcing immigration law” by denying Trump’s authorization to deploy the National Guard in Chicago.
He added that he wants to see Illinois elect more Republicans. Currently, Illinois’s eight statewide offices — including the Senate seat for which Tracy is running — are held by Democrats, and the majority of these Democrats are from Cook County and Chicago.
Tracy believes Democrats would “become a little bit less deranged” if they worked with more Republicans or if there was a Republican senator to work alongside a Democrat senator in Illinois.
“Maybe they would become a little bit less deranged and actually learn to work with and talk to Republicans, which would make Illinois better and a safer state,” he said. “The problem here is that Illinois is a one-party state…There’s the old saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well, the Democrats have absolute power in Illinois.”
As Tracy prepares for the primary on March 17, he encourages people to vote. He said Republicans are “complacent” while Democrats are “mad as a hornet.” He believes Democrats are “upset” because “minors can’t get gender surgery all over the place” and Republicans are “backing law enforcement,” monitoring the borders, fighting against “extreme environmentalism” and “want to bring common sense solutions to the healthcare problems.”
“They’re mad as hornets. They’re radicals, and they have time because a lot of them don’t have jobs. So they’re out there and they’re going to vote in numbers and get other people to vote,” Tracy said. “Everyday Americans, everyday Illinoisans, working people, it’s important to support your families. It’s important to raise your kids. It’s important to do your jobs. It’s important to help your employers. It’s important to help your communities. But you’ve got to take care of the foundation that supports all this. You’ve got to vote.”
For more information about Don Tracy, visit his official website at DonTracyForIL.com.
