Democratic candidates vying to fill outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat said tariffs under U.S. President Donald Trump have hurt small businesses and farmers.

Trump’s tariffs, or import duties, were among the topics discussed at a candidates forum Sunday at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall in Joliet.

The candidates running for Durbin’s seat in the 2026 Democratic primary include Jump Shepherd; Kevin Ryan; and U.S. Reps Robin Kelly, 2nd District, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, 8th District.

Sunday’s forum was hosted by Illinois Democratic Women of Will County. Michelle Stiff, a candidate for Will County clerk, moderated the forum.

When asked about Trump’s tariffs, Ryan, a Chicago Public Schools teacher and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he’s seen how they are hurting farmers when he visits rural counties in Illinois.

Ryan said Illinois is a top exporter of soybeans and other agricultural commodities that have been affected by the tariffs.

He said there’s a “surgical time and place” for tariffs when it’s necessary for certain national security measures or protecting certain burgeoning industries.

“And most importantly, it does not belong in the hands of the president,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Congress should have the power to use tariffs when necessary.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs were challenged in court by the Liberty Justice Center, which claimed that the president has no authority to unilaterally issue tariffs that have been devastating to small businesses nationwide.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs on almost every country, according to The Associated Press.

But the court allowed the Trump administration to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, will hear the case in November.

Trump administration officials have said the tariffs are necessary to “ensure fair trade, protect American workers and reduce the trade deficit.”

Shepherd, an educator, astronomer and union electrician, agreed with Ryan that tariffs should not be applied in a blanket manner, and they have hurt the U.S. economy.

Shepherd said the tariffs have helped big corporations consolidate power.

“When a small business in our neighborhood goes down, all that revenue, all that purchasing power, all that spending goes to Amazon or goes to Walmart or goes to another huge corporation that already has enough power and influence,” Shepherd said.

Kelly said she has heard how tariffs have hurt small businesses.

“I met with a lot of small businesses, and they’re hurting, and some of them told me they will have to go out of business,” Kelly said.

Krishnamoorthi called Trump’s tariffs a “tax on working families” and the worst thing for the affordability crisis in the U.S. He said they have led to grocery prices for wholesale vegetables spiking by 40% in one month.

“Not only are vegetables going up in price, but homebuilding is going up in price because all the materials needed for homebuilding are impacted by the imports coming from places like Canada and other places,” Krishnamoorthi said.

He said tariffs have value if they are strategically applied.

“But blanket tariffs on all products from everywhere only leads to higher prices,” Krishnamoorthi added.