Juliana Stratton Will Continue To Yell ‘F*** Trump’ Following Illinois Democratic Primary Win

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton may be heading to Washington, D.C. after securing the Democratic primary vote to potentially become the country’s sixth Black woman senator, Politico reports. 

Taking over for Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring, Stratton beat out frontrunner Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi with millions in campaign donations, an endorsement from Gov. JB Pritzker, and a catchy campaign slogan where she and other supporters said, “F*** Trump.” 

Her victory will put her on the ballot against former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy in November. If elected as a senator, she will be the second Black

woman to be nominated to the Senate from Illinois. Carol Moseley Braun was the first in 1992, passing the torch to Stratton with an endorsement. 

Stratton was introduced by her daughter before giving her victory speech to dozens of supporters. “I am proud to serve as your lieutenant governor and I am humbled and honored to stand before you tonight as your Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate!,” she shouted. 

“We did it! Tonight we showed what’s possible when you listen to the people and give the people what they want.” 

Stratton’s success painted a different picture

ontent-ad2"> than that of those who were assumed to have supported her. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who endorsed contender Rep. Robin Kelly, another Black woman, issued a warning that interference from Pritzker, who appeared in Stratton’s video, could split the Black vote and cost Democrats a chance at electing a Black woman to the Senate later this year.

But they may have been wrong, defying the beliefs of some strategists. Voters like Jade Brown admitted to struggling about who to vote for as senator, but after deep thought, came to the decision of Stratton. “She has a proven record of doing what she thinks is right and not tying herself to anybody else. She’s always been an independent voice,” Brown said, according to CNN. 

Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, the political leader began her career as a lawyer before winning a state House seat in 2016. In 2018, Pritzker leaned on her to join him on the Democratic ticket, and she has served the state of Illinois for the past eight years. 

Receiving support from other powerful Democratic female figures on Capitol Hill, like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, while on the campaign trail, the lieutenant governor promised to work toward abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE — and supported raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour, in addition to expanding Medicare access to all Americans.

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