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Better Ask Axe

A candid conversation with David Axelrod, the longtime Illinois resident and former Obama strategist, about his state’s shifting politics, Pritzker for president, and the dire need for introspection from the Dems.

David Axelrod
As Axelrod told me, the spate of retirements are unlikely to change the balance of power in Washington, but the tenor of the Senate Democratic primary will be telling, especially since the winner is expected to glide to victory in the general. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
April 27, 2025

Illinois, the Democratic epicenter of the Midwest, is facing major political turnover this cycle: Governor JB Pritzker is contemplating a presidential run. Senator Dick Durbin just confirmed he won’t seek reelection, the starting gun for a half-dozen much younger Democrats who were jockeying for position well before he made it official. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, also 80, is about to announce that she won’t run again for her suburban Chicago district. (She already faces a challenge from the 26-year-old influencer Kat Abughazaleh.) And all eyes are on Rep. Danny Davis, 83, who, to the party’s frustration, seems intent on running again.