Julianna Stratton’s win marks historic first for women of color in Illinois politics

When Lt. Gov.-elect Julianna Stratton is sworn in as a U.S. senator in January, Illinois will become the first state with two women of color serving simultaneously.

Stratton, Illinois' first Black lieutenant governor, will also become the sixth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the second from the state.

“We already have Sen. (Tammy) Duckworth fighting in Washington. I’m looking forward to joining her and keeping this going,” Stratton said during an appearance with Gov. JB Pritzker Wednesday. “In Illinois, our values are rooted in compassion for every community and every person. This team, we have your back.”

During her victory speech Tuesday night, Stratton said outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin had reminded her that the seat she was vying for is the same one Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had once run against each other for, notably splitting on slavery. She noted that her great-great grandfather, William Stephens, was freed when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

So now, “The seat where the future of slavery was once debated will be held by a descendant of someone who was enslaved," she said.

“That progress was possible because people not only believed things could change, but demanded that they did,” Stratton said to the crowd Tuesday night. “It was possible because of the courage of people who refused to accept the limits placed on them. Because of the relentless work to ensure that the next generation would go further than the last. I don’t take the history of this seat lightly, because I know that I did not get here alone.”

Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Elizabeth Hernandez said in a statement Tuesday that Illinois “remains a trailblazer for broken ceilings” in having two powerhouse women of color representing us in the upper chamber," but also recognized Stratton’s win came amid massive wins for Democrats nationally that brought its own wave of historic firsts.

Tuesday's election saw the country’s first Black female governor, the first Native American female governor, the first Native female senator, the first Muslim U.S. senator and the first openly gay U.S. senator. Alabama elected its first transgender state legislator, and a Black trans woman is headed to Washington’s state Legislature for the first time next spring as well.

“America sent a very clear message,” Duckworth said.