Juliana Stratton wins Illinois Democratic Senate primary race

Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary race to succeed Illinois’ US senator Dick Durbin, beating out US representative Raja Krishnamoorthi. With nearly 90% of the vote tallied, Stratton was leading Krishnamoorthi by more than six percentage points on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. “We did it,”” Stratton said of her upset victory. “Tonight we showed whats possible when you listen to the people and give the people what they want. “Courage inspired me to run. Courage powered this campaign and courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump’s front door,” she said, as the crowd in Chicago wildly applauded. Stratton, a progressive with the support of governor JB Pritzker, had been behind Krishnamoorthi in polling until recent weeks, when an infusion of cash from the governor and a hardening sentiment on immigration pushed aside the relatively moderate congressman. Stratton also faced competition on her left from congresswoman Robin Kelly, which threatened to split the progressive vote. Kelly drew less than 20% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Durbin, 81, is retiring after service five terms in the Senate. Republicans have not won a statewide election in Illinois in more than a decade; the winner of the Democratic primary is expected to win the general election in November. Stratton, who will face former Republican state party chair Don Tracy in November, would be the 15th Black US senator in American history. Turnout was unusually high for a Senate contest in a non-presidential year. With more than 1.14 million votes already tallied in the Democratic primary, total participation was expected to surpass the 2004 primary, when Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination to the Senate. With Chicago still recovering from the upscaled ICE raids and accompanying street protests of Operation Midway Blitz, immigration policy separated the two frontrunners. Stratton called directly for the abolishment of ICE, while Krishnamoorthi has been more nuanced, calling for the abolishment of “Trump’s ICE” in a fusillade of late-game ads across the state. Krishnamoorthi raised more than $30m for this Senate run, second only to US senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia this cycle. The five-term congressman has been criticized for raising money from Trump supporters, people aligned with India’s nationalist movement and the tech company Palantir. A Pac that’s supporting Krishnamoorthi, the Indian American Impact Fund, ran ads boosting Kelly, seen as a way to blunt Stratton, Politico reported. Kelly, the third major contender, served the state’s second congressional district since 2013. Both Stratton and Kelly are Black with deep ties to the state’s Black community. Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot supported Kelly, as did the Congressional Black Caucus. At his election night event, Krishnamoorthi said he conceded to Stratton and offered his “full support on the road ahead”. “Obviously this is not the result we sought, but unlike Donald Trump I’m not going to question the outcome,” he said. “I am honored at the support we received from every corner of this state.” In a statement, Durbin, who did not endorse in the race, said he looked forward to “passing the torch to Juliana Stratton at the end of my term”. “With Donald Trump in the White House for another two years, the challenges facing our country and state will continue to be historic and unprecedented,” he said. “We need Juliana Stratton fighting alongside Senator [Tammy] Duckworth everyday come January 3, 2027.” Stratton was aided by Pritzker’s donations to Illinois Future Pac, which is running pro-Stratton ads. She has served under Pritzker since 2019. Invoking her late father, a civil rights activist who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Stratton asked the people of Illinois to make an “uncomfortable choice” and “choose to resist”. “His story is a reminder that this fight is bigger than you or me,” she said, “a reminder that we are fighting a righteous fight.” In her remarks, Stratton ticked through her list of progressive campaign promises, which includes calls to implement Medicare for all, a $25 per hour minimum wage, abolish ICE and a vow to “pull our democracy back from the brink”. “I made a promise to Illinois to be the fighter you deserve, to go to the mat fighting for you,” she added. “I haven’t forgotten that promise.”