SPRINGFIELD — It's common parlance to talk about an election as if it's a race.
For Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a five-time marathoner who ran in a 5K race just last weekend, this would typically be an appropriate metaphor. But these are atypical times.
Stratton, 59, last week became the first major candidate to jump into what's expected to be a crowded race to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
The Chicago Democrat's nascent campaign kicks off amid the backdrop of President Donald Trump's return to power in the nation's capital.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton poses for a portrait in Springfield on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
It has been a turbulent few months. On-again, off-again tariffs have sown economic uncertainty; the threat of deep cuts looms over social programs such as Medicaid and Social Security; and a crackdown on illegal immigration has led some judges to rule that the administration disregarded due process rights.
More than running a race, Stratton said, she's gearing up for a fight.
"If there's anything that I hear from Illinoisans, it's 'will you fight for us?' And Gov. Pritzker continues to stand up and fight. I've been standing up and fighting for the people of Illinois," Stratton told Lee Enterprises in an interview on Wednesday. "It's what we've been doing this entire 6 1/2 years of our administration. And I believe that we need that kind of fight in Washington D.C."
Stratton, Illinois' lieutenant governor since 2019 and a former state lawmaker, has quickly established herself as a frontrunner to succeed Durbin.
Durbin
Two days into the campaign, she received the endorsement of her boss, Gov. JB Pritzker, who touted her "fighting spirit and dedication to improving lives."
Days later, she nabbed the backing of Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who praised her "tenacity, grit and perspective."
"We're building momentum," Stratton said. "People are expressing their support, and I really do believe that I'm building a winning coalition."
"So it's been exciting," she said. "It's not going to be an easy road. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I got ready Day 1 and rolled up my sleeves, and I'm doing that work."
Stratton will almost certainly face competitive opposition in the Democratic primary. Democratic U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, Lauren Underwood of Naperville and Robin Kelly of Matteson are all expected to announce campaigns of their own within the coming days and weeks.
Treasurer Mike Frerichs has also expressed interest. On the Republican side, Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, is said to be giving the race a look.
With Durbin's departure, Illinois will lose someone with more than four decades of congressional experience and two decades as the No. 2 Senate Democrat.
That 1-2 punch of seniority and leadership created a level of clout that brought back a disproportionate amount of federal resources to Illinois for various projects and programs.
No one will be able to fill those shoes, at least right away. But with at least three Democratic members of Congress exploring the race, there will be candidates who know the ways of Washington.
Stratton, on the other hand, has no experience in federal office. But she doesn't view this as a handicap. In fact, the game has changed, she said.
"When I travel the state, I hear from people directly. I've been doing listening sessions, I've been going to different parts of our state. I've been to the Quad Cities, I've been to Rockford, I've been to the Metro East and other places. And I believe that we are in a moment that if we don't stand up and fight against what is happening, there won't be any resources to bring back.
"I mean, look at this plan ... to cut a trillion dollars to give Donald Trump's billionaire buddies a tax break," she said, referring to the House GOP plan to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and potential cuts to safety net programs to pay for them.
"So I think that, yes, we have to get to a point where we can talk about all of the policy issues and what we need to do to bring more resources. But if we don't get in and stop this damage that is coming out every single day ... then what?"
"We have seen the same old playbook in Washington, and it's not working," she said. "It's not working. And this is a time when we need fresh voices, new perspectives, new leadership, and that's exactly what I'll bring to Washington, D.C."
Stratton is in alignment with Pritzker in both style and substance.
She has long called their shared governing record in the Land of Lincoln, from raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to enacting among the most liberal reproductive health laws in the country, a "blueprint for what's possible" as a country.
And with some Democrats striking a conciliatory tone towards dealing with Trump, Stratton is on "team fight" right alongside Pritzker, who at a New Hampshire Democratic Party fundraiser on Sunday criticized "do-nothing Democrats" who have "been timid, not bold."
"We have to stand up against what's happening," Stratton said. "We have to speak out, and we have to sort of just sort of draw the line in the sand and say, 'I'm not going to allow you to continue to cause so much damage on the working families of Illinois.' And so there's a level that we have to kind of look at it in that mindset that this is a fight."
On policy priorities in the Senate, Stratton kept it vague. She said she wants to promote "economic opportunity and access to opportunity."
As lieutenant governor, Stratton has traveled the state extensively. She has an "LG on the Move" initiative in which she documents her travels, which often include visits to small businesses and state parks across Illinois.
She also chairs the Governor's Rural Affairs Council and has an "Ag Connects Us All" initiative that seeks to bring people together around the state's largest industry.
So while the traditional upstate-downstate balance in Senate representation might end when Durbin leaves, Stratton stressed that she plans to run in all corners of and represent the entire state if she wins.
"I've always taken my role seriously about representing the entire state, and that's why I went to those various communities," Stratton said. "People told me, 'You're not going to come back here.' And I did.
"And I went not just to go and to say, 'Oh, look, I'm here,' but to listen, learn and figure out how in state government we can help their communities. People just want to know that there's someone fighting for them."
Stratton is married with four daughters. She lives in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.
