Illinois will send two female senators of color to Washington for the first time in the state’s history. Democrat Juliana Stratton defeated Republican Don Tracy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring five-term Sen. Dick Durbin, the Associated Press projected Tuesday night.
Who won, and who she’s replacing
Stratton, Illinois’s lieutenant governor since 2019, defeated Tracy, a Springfield attorney and former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. She’ll take the seat held by Durbin, who is retiring after five terms. Illinois hasn’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2010.
Why this win makes history
With the win, Stratton joins Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage, making Illinois the first state represented by two female senators of color at the same time.
How she got here
Stratton was elected lieutenant governor alongside Gov. JB Pritzker in 2018 and reelected in 2022, after one term in the Illinois House of Representatives. She won a contested Democratic primary in March against two sitting members of Congress from the Chicago area before facing Tracy in the general election.
What she ran on
Stratton campaigned on staunchly progressive positions, including a $25 national minimum wage, abolishing ICE, and Medicare for All. Tracy’s campaign tried to paint those positions as extreme, while also criticizing her for not fully embracing some of President Trump’s policies.
What her campaign is saying
“Juliana Stratton is the fighter Illinois needs in the United States Senate,” campaign spokesperson Allison Janowski said.
What’s next
Stratton is set to become the newest member of a Senate that, after this election, includes a growing number of women of color — a shift that’s reshaping who represents some of the country’s largest, most diverse states.