Duckworth endorses Lt. Gov. Stratton for U.S. Senate seat to replace
Durbin
[April 29, 2025]
By Ben Szalinski
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Monday
in the 2026 Democratic primary for Illinois’ open seat to replace
longtime Sen. Dick Durbin.
Duckworth’s endorsement comes after Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed Stratton
on Friday, one day after she entered the Senate contest. With no other
Democratic candidates announcing campaigns for the 2026 primary by
Monday morning, Stratton secured the endorsement of two of the state’s
top Democrats before fielding any competition.
“Juliana has not only proven to be an experienced and effective
Lieutenant Governor — she’s demonstrated time and again that she truly
understands and cares for working people,” Duckworth said in a
statement. “Their struggles are her struggles. Their wins are her wins.”
Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, will take over as the
state’s senior senator in January 2027 after Durbin’s term ends, as he
announced last week he plans to retire. An Army veteran who earned a
Purple Heart while serving in Iraq, Duckworth was elected to the Senate
in 2016.
“Her many years spent in public service, along with her experience as a
mom to four daughters and a caregiver to her own mother, have given her
the tenacity, grit and perspective to be a true advocate on behalf of
working families,” Duckworth said of Stratton.
Durbin told reporters at his Springfield home last week that he will
likely not make any endorsements in the primary.
Stratton secured Pritzker’s endorsement Friday. The two have spent the
last six years leading Illinois following two successful elections.
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From left to right: Sen. Dick Durbin, former Secretary of State
Jesse White, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and
Gov. JB Pritzker celebrate at Governor’s Day at the 2022 Illinois
State Fair in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry
Nowicki)
Pritzker praised Stratton as a “champion for women’s rights, for job
creation, for rural families, for farmers, for criminal justice, for
early childhood education,” and credited the lieutenant governor as
having played an integral role in his administration.
Asked Friday whether his endorsement tamps down a competitive race for
Durbin’s seat, Pritzker said, “Anybody who wants to run should run. But
I’m telling you this is the person whose best able to serve with
integrity, with honor.”
Stratton, of Chicago, has quickly risen through the ranks of Illinois
politics after first being elected as a state representative in 2016.
She was elected lieutenant governor two years later as Pritzker’s
running mate during the 2018 campaign.
It’s still unclear whether other Democrats will announce they are
joining Stratton in the primary as whoever enters the race will go in
knowing they won’t be endorsed by two of the state’s leading Democrats.
U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood, of Naperville, Raja Krishnamoorthi, of
Schaumburg, Robin Kelly, of Matteson, and state Treasurer Mike Frerichs,
of Chicago, all have said they are considering entering the race.
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