Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announces Senate run
Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton kicked off her run for U.S. Senate next year on Friday morning after making her campaign announcement on Thursday.
On Friday morning, Governor JB Pritzker endorsed Stratton during her first campaign event in Chicago.
"I'm so grateful to be here standing alongside my friend JB, and I am so honored to have earned his endorsement," Stratton said.
The South Side native announced her campaign in a video focused on opposing President Trump and supporting "new voices." Her campaign video highlighted her work on abortion rights, the Illinois assault weapon ban, and increasing the minimum wage.
Stratton has served as Illinois lieutenant governor alongside Governor JB Pritzker since 2019. She said her decision to run came down to what she's seeing play out in the nation's capital right now.
"I'm looking at the chaos that's happening through the Trump-Musk administration, and I'm talking to everyday Illinoisans across our state who sometimes are fearful, sometimes wondering, 'Are we gonna be OK?' and really just wanting a fighter, a fighter in Washington D.C. who's going to make sure they stand up int he chaos in Washington but also deliver," she said. "Make their lives better."
Stratton touted the work she and Gov. Pritzker, who she has served alongside since 2019, have accomplished in their six-and-a-half years leading the state.
"We've been able to raise the minimum wage," she said. "We've invested in infrastructure and created thousands of jobs. We've protected a woman's right to choose. These are the kinds of things we've gotten done, and what we're seeing in Washington is a real need for new energy that's going to fight and deliver for Illinoisans, and that's what I'll do."
If she wins the Democratic primary and the subsequent general election, Stratton would be the second Black woman elected to represent Illinois in the Senate. Carol Moseley Braun was the first Black woman in the Senate when she was elected in 1993.
Currently, Stratton has less than $100,000 in her state campaign account, which cannot be transferred into a federal committee fund.
She has plans to hit the ground running.
"What I'm going to focus on doing is doing what I need to do to get to Washington, D.C. and represent the people of Illinois — and that means, first of all, talking with as many Illinoisans as I can, listening to their concerns, letting them know I'm going to be a fighter for them — but also continuing to build out a strong campaign," Stratton said.
But Stratton will be competing with others who have millions in their campaign funds.
"The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association -- I just launched today, but on day one they've committed seven figures to my campaign," Stratton said. "That's the kind of energy that I'm going to continue to build upon and I've just been thrilled with the outpouring of support that I've already received and I'm going to keep working at it."
When we asked the DLGA about the exactly amount they were donating, they responded that "it will be a robust seven figures," but offered no further specifics.
North Central College Political Science Professor Stephen Maynard Caliendo said Stratton will need a lot of money to run for U.S. Senate.
"Really, what's important, of course, is being able to raise enough money to launch a campaign like this. It's very expensive to run a U.S. Senate race in any state — but certainly in a state that has a media market as significant as Illinois," Caliendo said.
Caliendo broke down how the costs are likely to be incurred.
"It's expensive to get on TV and to do the work that needs to be done to get around the state and have a full staff in place," he said.
Stratton is running for the seat Sen. Dick Durbin will vacate when he retires at the end of next year. On Wednesday, Durbin announced his plans to retire at the end of his term.
Durbin is currently serving his fifth term in the Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in 1996.
Other commonly mentioned names for Durbin's seat include Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Lauren Underwood and Rep. Robin Kelly.
Krishnamoorthi's Raja for Congress Campaign Committee has more than $18 million on hand, but he would not commit to joining the race Thursday.
"I'm going to make an announcement in the future," Krishnamoorthi said.
Kelly, through her Robin Kelly for Congress Campaign Committee, has more than $2 million right now. She also said she is not ready to talk about her future yet.
In a statement, Kelly said, "I will be making an announcement next week about my plans moving forward to ensure all Illinoisans have a proven fighter."
Stratton still has not filed her statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, but she will have to do that within 15 days of getting that robust contribution from the DLGA.
