Juliana Stratton

Juliana Stratton was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, the daughter of a Navy veteran and a Chicago public school teacher. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and from DePaul University's College of Law. Before holding public office she worked as a mediator, arbitrator and restorative justice practitioner, and she chaired the Kenwood Academy Local School Council. She represented the 5th District in the Illinois House of Representatives before her 2018 election as lieutenant governor alongside JB Pritzker, an office she has held for the past seven years. As lieutenant governor she leads the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative and chairs the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, the Military Economic Development Council and the Illinois River Coordinating Council. In 2026 she ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Dick Durbin and won the March 17 Democratic primary over Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. She faces Republican Don Tracy on November 3.