Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Springfield’s Don Tracy is officially the Republican party nominee in the November election for the seat in the U.S. Senate being vacated by fellow Springfield resident, Dick Durbin.

Tracy bested five other candidates in his own party in the primary Tuesday, and will run against Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, who herself had nine opponents.

“It’s especially important, I would suggest, for the Republican side, then the Democrat side, because it’s an opportunity to make Illinois a two-party state again,” Tracy told WTAX News.  “Right now, there’s eight statewide seats, and the Democrats have all eight of them, including the two Senate seats.”

Tracy says, if elected, he looks forward to being able to work across the aisle with Tammy Duckworth, in doing what’s best for all of Illinois.

That’s even if Tracy doesn’t have a positive evaluation of the opposing party.

“The Democrat Party of today is not the Democrat party of, like, our parents,” said Tracy.  “Some of their positions they’ve taken are so far left, it’s unbelievable.  Open borders?  Who would have thought that a major political party would basically be for open borders, or for defunding police, which has now morphed into abolishing ICE?”

Durbin is retiring from the seat that Tracy and Stratton are vying for.  Tracy held his campaign watch party Tuesday at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel downtown.