The race for a safe Democratic House seat offers clues about the party’s future

角逐安全民主党国会席位的竞争揭示了该党未来的线索

The NPR Politics Podcast

2026-03-18

23 分钟
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单集简介 ...

It’s Primary Day in Illinois, where 15 Democrats, spanning three generations, are vying to succeed longtime Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky in the state's 9th Congressional District. We discuss what the race tells us about the future of the Democratic Party. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political reporter Elena Moore, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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单集文稿 ...

  • Let's get started!

  • Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast.

  • I'm Tamara Keith.

  • I cover the White House.

  • I'm Elena Moore.

  • I cover politics.

  • And I'm Domenico Montanero, senior political editor and correspondent.

  • Today on the show, it's primary day in Illinois.

  • And in the suburbs of Chicago, 15 Democrats,

  • 15 are competing for an open house seat in a safe blue district.

  • The race offers clues for how Democratic voters see their party's future.

  • Elena, you spent some time in the district.

  • Tell us about the race.

  • Yeah, well, you know, Democrats have two battles going on right now.

  • They're trying to flip seats, but they're also trying to create the next generation of Democratic leaders

  • that get people excited.

  • And if you look at this district, it kind of shows that dynamic on display.

  • Illinois' ninth district is held by Jan Shikowski.

  • She's 81 years old, and she's retiring after this term.

  • And there are, like you said, 15 Democrats hungry to take that spot with the top.