Declaring, “if you can make it in Springfield, you can make it in Washington, D.C.,” former President Barack Obama on Monday endorsed Juliana Stratton for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Dick Durbin’s retirement.
“Juliana Stratton is a South Sider, a mother, a caregiver and a fighter. That’s why I was proud to endorse her first campaign for state representative and why I can’t wait to vote for her to be the next senator from the great state of Illinois,” Obama said in a video released by Stratton’s Senate campaign.
In a rare state legislative endorsement, Obama supported Stratton’s 2016 run for state representative and helped campaign for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Stratton in 2018 in Urbana and Chicago. Obama has taped at least two dozen ads for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate that are expected to be released in the coming days and weeks. He’s also planning campaign stops in battleground states.
Stratton’s campaign said the two last saw each other at the June 18 Obama Presidential Center dedication ceremony. Obama is not expected to appear in any Stratton events before Election Day.
After winning her first political campaign in 2016, Stratton — a fellow South Sider — thanked Obama in her victory speech in Bronzeville.
“I know that President Barack Obama is here in spirit,” she said.
Obama’s endorsements so far have included Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek, Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom and Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson. The Associated Press is reporting he’ll appear Oct. 24 with Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit.
He’s also headlining a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee event with Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester this week.
Obama’s endorsement mentions that Stratton “spoke out and fought back” during President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign in the Chicago area, Operation Midway Blitz. Stratton was among a group of Illinois Democrats who called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement in January — and she emphasized that message during several rallies and debates.
Stratton is endorsed by Pritzker, Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and all 14 Democratic members of the Illinois House delegation, among a slew of other Democrats.
In the Senate race, Stratton faces Republican candidate Don Tracy, who served as the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party, and independent candidate Whitfield Harrington Jr. The lieutenant governor defeated two Democratic members of Congress — U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly — and eight other candidates in a heated March primary.
Stratton and Tracy are scheduled to participate in a WTTW forum next week.