Jewish Voter Guide
Don Tracy
U.S. Senate · IL · Republican
Summary
Don Tracy is the Republican nominee in Illinois's 2026 U.S. Senate election and will face Democratic nominee Juliana Stratton.
Don Tracy, the Republican nominee for Illinois's open U.S. Senate seat, has expressed strong support for Israel and its military response to Hamas's October 7 attack. In a November 2025 interview, he described Israel as a "very strong ally" of the United States, said U.S. involvement in the Gaza war had been measured and appropriate, and argued that the United States should
support Israel in defending itself. Tracy has also taken a hard-line position on Iran, saying Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and supporting military action intended to degrade Iran's nuclear and ballistic-missile capabilities.
Tracy condemned Hamas's October 7 attack as an "evil atrocity" and later celebrated the release of Israeli hostages. He has described Iran as the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, spoken of antisemitism as an enduring threat, and said political violence should be unacceptable "on either side." His public record is otherwise limited on domestic Jewish- community issues.
The record
Positions come from public votes, statements and on-the-record interviews. Every claim links to its source. No aggregate score or grade.
Support for a Strong U.S.-Israel Alliance
In a November 2025 interview with Illinois Public Media's The 21st Show, Tracy described Israel as a "very strong ally" of the United States and said U.S. involvement in the Gaza war had been "measured and appropriate." He said the United States should support Israel in defending itself and responding to Hamas's October 7 attack, and argued that Israel had done a strong job minimizing collateral damage.
Source
Preventing a Nuclear Iran
In an April 2026 interview, Tracy said the United States had long maintained that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. He argued that appeasement and negotiation had failed and framed the choice as allowing Iran to become a nuclear power or taking action to prevent it.
In a separate April 1 WTTW interview, Tracy said he hoped the conflict would be short and would successfully degrade Iran's nuclear and intercontinental-ballistic-missile ambitions. In July, he said some Iranian nuclear facilities had been neutralized and that this had left Iran less powerful.
Condemning and Combating Terrorism
Tracy has described Iran as the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism and cited that status as a reason for confronting the Iranian regime. In April 2026, he linked Iran's sponsorship of terrorism to his support for action intended to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. No separate, detailed counterterrorism platform was identified.
Response to Hamas's October 7 Attack
In October 2023, while serving as Illinois Republican Party chairman, Tracy called Hamas's killing of Israelis an "evil atrocity" and said there could be no justification for "the unprovoked slaughter of innocents." He criticized 16 Democratic state legislators over a statement that he said sought to justify the attack.
In October 2025, Tracy celebrated the return of 20 Israeli hostages, saying they had endured more than two years of hardship and calling their release a major step toward peace.
Fighting Antisemitism
At an August 2026 rally in Springfield, Tracy said he had thought the United States had "won the war against anti-Semitism when we won World War II," presenting antisemitism as a threat that remains unresolved.
Standing Against Political Extremism
In a September 2025 interview, Tracy said political violence should be unacceptable "on either side" and argued for more debate and less "cancel culture." He said rhetoric that encourages political violence should no longer be acceptable.
Source
A note on methodology. This guide is published as an educational reference. The American Jewish Congress does not endorse candidates and does not publish aggregate scores. If you spot a position that needs an update or a better source, please reach the office.