Stratton Win Sets Illinois Senate Record
Juliana Stratton joins Tammy Duckworth to make Illinois the first state with two women of color in the U.S. Senate.
By Alina Campbell ·
Illinois will become the first state in American history to send two women of color to the U.S. Senate.
Democrat Juliana Stratton defeated ex-GOP Chairman Don Tracy in the November election. She is scheduled to be sworn into office in January. Her election completes a historic pairing in the state's Senate delegation.
Stratton is a native of Chicago's South Side. She has served as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. JB Pritzker since 2018. Before that role, she was first elected as a state representative in 2017. She is set to join Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who holds several other historic distinctions. Duckworth was the first Thai American woman elected to Congress and the first double amputee to serve in the body. She is also the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran and a Purple Heart recipient.
Duckworth acknowledged the new milestone in an interview with NBC. "It's the first time any state has sent two women of color in our nation's entire history," Duckworth said. She added that the result demonstrates that representation matters.
Stratton addressed the expectations placed on her during her victory speech. She recalled being told to "sit back and learn" when she entered the state legislature in 2017. "Well, I ignored that advice then, and I certainly won't be sitting back and listening quietly when I get to Washington, D.C.," Stratton said.
Duckworth congratulated Stratton via social media on Tuesday night. She described Stratton as a proven leader with a strong track record. "Couldn’t ask for a better partner in the years ahead," Duckworth wrote. She urged the pair to hold the current administration accountable.
The Illinois result is part of a wider pattern of firsts in this election cycle. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim U.S. Senator. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa was elected as the state's first Latina governor. Additionally, Gov. JB Pritzker became the first Democrat to win three terms as Illinois governor, defeating Darren Bailey for the second time.
