CHICAGO — Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday endorsed his running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, for the U.S. Senate, a move that could serve as a politically powerful warning to the rest of an emerging field seeking to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
The Illinois governor’s announcement, made outside a graystone church in the Bronzeville neighborhood where Stratton grew up, comes only two days after Durbin made public his decision not to seek a sixth term and just one day after the two-term lieutenant governor formally declared her Senate candidacy.
Pritzker said Stratton “governs with a zeal that few elected leaders can match, fueled by her lived experience as her mother’s primary caregiver, as a mother herself and as a passionate advocate for people first and foremost.”
With Pritzker’s endorsement, Stratton has locked in the backing of the powerful titular head of the state’s Democratic Party as she seeks early frontrunner status and attempts to preempt a large field of rivals from developing.
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Pritzker, a billionaire entrepreneur and heir of the Hyatt Hotels fortune, has used his personal wealth to support state and local Democratic organizations and spent $350 million of his own money in winning the 2018 and 2022 elections with Stratton on his team.
There was no initial indication of what financial support Pritzker will provide Stratton’s nascent Senate campaign, though such backing is likely.
Among Democrats also considering a Senate bid are U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, Robin Kelly of Matteson and Lauren Underwood of Naperville as well as state Treasurer Michael Frerichs.
Stratton cannot use money in her state campaign account for a federal campaign because of tighter fundraising rules. But members of Congress can use their federal campaign funds for a Senate bid. Krishnamoorthi has $19.4 million in his campaign account, Kelly has more than $2 million and Underwood has $1.1 million as of the start of April.
Even before she announced her candidacy, Stratton has frequently mentioned her partnership with Pritzker. In her prepared remarks to be given Friday, Stratton called the governor “a true leader for our state who has shown the country what it looks like to stand up to (President) Donald Trump and fight for the values we hold dear.”
Following her candidacy announcement on Thursday, Stratton sat for interviews with several local TV and print outlets as she begins the process of building name recognition and detailing her personal background for voters.
Pritzker has not announced if he will seek a third term next year as he has increased his national footprint, leading to speculation of a potential 2028 presidential bid. If he runs for governor again, Stratton’s decision to seek the Senate would force him to find a new running mate.
