Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton projected to win Democratic Senate primary for seat held by Dick Durbin: AP
The progressive candidate campaigned with a strong anti-Trump message.
Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton will win the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois, the Associated Press projects, a victory for the progressive-leaning candidate who campaigned on a strongly-anti Trump message.
Stratton's victory puts her on track to become the sixth Black woman to ever serve in the U.S. Senate. It also marks validation for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a rumored 2028 presidential hopeful who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary for governor. Pritzker had endorsed Stratton and donated millions to an outside group supporting her bid.
The Senate race was among a slate of elections in Illinois marking generational change for the Land of Lincoln's congressional delegation. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is retiring, and he did not endorse any candidates in the primary.
Speaking to a triumphant crowd of supporters in Chicago on Tuesday night, Stratton said she would stay focused on her progressive campaign promises -- such as abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and pushing for "Medicare for All" -- while continuing to challenge President Donald Trump.
"Together, we've confronted one of the most frightening moments of our lifetimes," Stratton said. "But despite the fear, we never lost sight of what was most important: courage. Courage inspired me to run. Courage powered this campaign. And courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump's door."
Stratton's campaign made some waves with a campaign television ad where voters and Illinois' Sen. Tammy Duckworth curse out Trump, while Stratton says, "They said it, not me."
During the Democratic primary campaign, immigration was also a major issue given the Operation Midway Blitz enforcement operation in 2025, and Stratton called for abolishing ICE.
"To me, it's not about an overhaul of this agency, because I don't see this agency as being reformed," she said during one of the race's many televised debates.
Stratton triumphed over a slate of other candidates, including U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi -- who led in fundraising -- and Rep. Robin Kelly. Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus had criticized Pritzker's support of Stratton, who is Illinois' first Black female lieutenant governor, and felt her presence in the race risked splitting the Black vote in the primary between her and Kelly to benefit Krishnamoorthi.
Kelly, however, told ABC Chicago station WLS-TV late Tuesday night after she conceded the race, "The Congressional Black Caucus is very loving, and she will become a member."
In an interview with ABC News on Saturday, Stratton said: "I am the only candidate in this race that has represented the whole state, and I've done so for the past seven years ... I think that there is something that's sort of a common theme that I'm hearing, no matter which corner of the state of Illinois that you live in, and that is that people are fed up with what's happening in DC. They're tired of the status quo."
Stratton's campaign also faced some late-breaking controversy after she rolled out a major endorsement from the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died one month ago.
But some of Jackson's sons now say they either were not aware of the endorsement or that Jackson's draft endorsements for primaries were not meant to be made public after his death, although one of Jackson's sons later clarified his family did not "withdraw or retract" any endorsements.
In November, Stratton will face former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy, who was projected as the winner of the Republican Senate primary by the Associated Press earlier in the evening. The Cook Political Report rates the Senate seat as solidly Democratic.
"Chicago has a lot of issues, and Illinois has a lot of issues," Tracy said at a Republican Senate debate in February. "At some point, [the] people of Illinois, and I hope it's this cycle, are going to recognize that it's time to make Illinois a two party state again. And winning this seat would start down to making Illinois a two party state."
ABC News' Gaby Vinick contributed to this report.
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