Stratton Secures Senate Seat as Durbin Retires

The Associated Press called the race Tuesday, projecting Juliana Stratton as the winner in Illinois’ U.S. Senate contest. The result sends the state’s lieutenant governor to Washington to replace retiring Democrat Dick Durbin. She defeated Republican Don Tracy in the general election.

Stratton has served as vice president of the state since 2019 alongside Governor JB Pritzker. Prior to that role, she represented a district in the Illinois House of Representatives. Her platform included a push for a $25 federal minimum wage and a single-payer Medicare system. She also advocated for removing corporate political action committees from the political process.

Her opponent, Tracy, is a Springfield resident and senior counsel at the law firm Brown, Hay & Stephens. He has never held elected office but served in appointed positions, including chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board. During his campaign, Tracy focused on lowering the cost of living. He cited high property taxes, automatic gas tax increases, and the early closure of power plants as key drivers of inflation.

Tracy also warned that the retirement of Durbin could leave every statewide elected official based in Chicago or Cook County. He pledged to represent the entire state. The candidate, referred to as Harrington in campaign materials, also proposed making community college free for first-year students. He sought to expand direct primary care and create a federal process for sealing nonviolent criminal records.

Stratton’s tenure in the Senate will begin after the formal certification of the results. The transition marks a shift in leadership for the state’s delegation in the U.S. Capitol. Durbin leaves office after serving for decades in the upper chamber. The new senator will take her oath of office in January.