WATCH LIVE: Illinois U.S. Senate candidates face off in forum to replace Durbin

Voters in Illinois will get a chance to compare the two major-party candidates for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday evening, when Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democrat, and Don Tracy, a Republican, appear together at a forum. WTTW is carrying it live, starting at 9 p.m. EDT. The event matters because the winner will succeed Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring and has represented Illinois for close to thirty years, according to PBS NewsHour.

Durbin, who ranks second among Senate Democrats, said last year that he would not run again. Tracy previously chaired the state Republican Party. The two are competing while early voting is already happening across the state, and their contest shares the ballot with other races, among them Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt to win a third term. WTTW News also hosted a separate forum for the governor's race featuring Pritzker and his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey.

The Cook Political Report classifies the Illinois Senate contest as Solid Democratic, meaning it sees the seat as safely favoring Stratton's party.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →