SPRINGFIELD — The race to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin is officially on.
Less than 24 hours after Durbin announced he would not seek a sixth term, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton declared her candidacy for his seat, placing her the first out the gate in what's expected to be a crowded Democratic primary.
Stratton, in a two-minute campaign launch video, cast herself as an atypical candidate for atypical times, promising to throw out the "old playbook" while leaning into her record as Gov. JB Pritzker's No. 2 as a blueprint for what is possible.
"My journey to public service was inspired by serving as the primary caregiver for my mom when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's," Stratton said, adding that then-Gov. Bruce Rauner "was trying to cut health care for seniors like her" mother, which spurred her to run in a Democratic primary in 2016 against an incumbent who sided with the Republican governor on some key votes.
Stratton, who has served alongside Pritzker since 2019, touted the administration's progressive legislative record, including increasing the minimum wage and enshrining abortion rights into law, among others.
"They like to talk. We've actually gotten things done," Stratton said. "Now I'm running for Senate, because the only way out of this mess is to bring new energy, new voices and new leaders who understand the lives of working people."
Stratton, a native of Chicago's South Side, is an attorney and restorative justice practitioner. In 1997, she founded JDS Mediation Services, a consulting group that provided negotiation and alternative resolution services.
Later, she worked as a hearing officer and administrative law judge for the City of Chicago, managed the public safety portfolio for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and served as executive director of the Center for Public Safety at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Less than a year into her first term as a state legislator, Pritzker picked Stratton to be his running mate.
Since taking office, Pritzker has tasked Stratton with spearheading the administration’s criminal justice reform agenda, which covers a wide umbrella of programs but generally seeks to shift the state’s justice system away from punitive approaches toward restorative practices.
She also took a lead role in forming and negotiating Pritzker’s birth equity initiative, which seeks to address a maternal mortality gap in which Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth as white women.
She also chairs various boards and commissions, including the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Rivers of Illinois Coordinating Council and the Illinois Council on Women and Girls.
Pritzker heaped praise on Stratton in an unrelated press conference Thursday morning, calling her "one of the most accomplished people that's ever held the job of lieutenant governor." He added that he thinks "very highly of her" and believes that "the voters will too," but stopped short of endorsing her.
Stratton is the first but most certainly not the last candidate to jump into the race. Other possible candidates include U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and Treasurer Mike Frerichs, among others.
Political insiders have long pegged Krishnamoorthi as a likely candidate. The Schaumburg Democrat has more than $19 million in his campaign account and has been traveling the state over the past year. On Thursday, Krishnamoorthi was scheduled to make stops in Chicago, Logan County and Urbana to highlight the impact of tariffs on small businesses and farmers.
Kelly has represented portions of Chicago, the south suburbs and downstate in Congress since 2013. She was scheduled to appear at a town hall on Thursday on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, which is in Republican Rep. Mary Miller's district.
Underwood, who has represented Chicago's western suburbs and exurbs in Congress since 2019, has long been viewed as a rising star in the party.
Frerichs has been the state's chief investment officer since 2015. The Gifford native previously represented parts of Champaign and Vermillion counties in the state Senate. He confirmed his interest in a statement Wednesday, saying that he is "considering how I can continue to best serve the people of Illinois."
Among Republicans, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, is giving the race a look.
Most Democratic political operatives view Stratton as one of the frontrunners in an open primary alongside Krishnamoorthi.
While Krishnamoorthi starts with a significant financial advantage, the flexibility of Stratton’s current office frees up more time to campaign.
She is also believed by many operatives to have the strongest relationship of any prospective candidate with Chicago’s African American community, perhaps the most important constituency in a Democratic primary.
Stratton earlier this year founded her "Level Up" federal political action committee. She will have to sever ties with the PAC now that she is a candidate, but it can still raise and spend campaign dollars in support of her candidacy. A major wild card is whether Pritzker will endorse Stratton and, perhaps more importantly, financially back her candidacy.
Stratton did pick up the endorsement of Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which promised to commit "seven figures" to support her campaign.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks during the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Community Commemoration Ceremony
