> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Juliana Stratton Wins Illinois Senate Race, Defeating Don Tracy - URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/2026-election-il-us-senate-statewide-juliana-stratton/ - Published: 2026-11-04T05:01:15.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T05:01:15.000Z - Description: Democrat Juliana Stratton defeated Republican Don Tracy for Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat and will succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. - Author: News Desk - Tags: Politics, Illinois **Democrat Juliana Stratton has won Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Don Tracy and securing the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.** The [Associated Press declared Stratton the winner](https://apnews.com/article/cca61202fe544ca881689fe86635899c?ref=theamericanquorum.com) Tuesday. An AP report carried by Illinois broadcasters recorded the call at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, one hour after polls closed in the state. At 8:10 p.m. Eastern, with an estimated 19% of the vote counted, Stratton had 66.9% and Tracy had 31.8%, according to an [AP-fed election report](https://www.dailyherald.com/20261103/us-congress-politics/us-senate-race-illinois-voters-choose-juliana-stratton-as-dick-durbins-successor-ap-says/?ref=theamericanquorum.com). Those were partial election-night percentages, not the final certified totals, and the shares were expected to move as more Illinois jurisdictions reported. ## Illinois keeps the open seat Democratic Durbin, a Democrat who served five Senate terms, announced that he would not seek reelection. His departure produced an open-seat contest with national implications as Democrats worked to preserve their existing seats while challenging Republicans elsewhere. The [Federal Election Commission identifies Stratton](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6IL00458/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) as the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ open Senate seat. The FEC separately lists [Tracy as the Republican candidate](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6IL00615/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) for the same statewide office. American Center Party nominee Whitfield Harrington Jr. also appeared in the general-election field, but the principal contest was between Stratton and Tracy. AP concluded at poll closing that the Republican and minor-party candidates had no path to overtake Stratton. ## From lieutenant governor to the Senate Stratton has served as Illinois lieutenant governor since 2019 after winning two statewide elections as Gov. JB Pritzker’s running mate. Before that, she represented a Chicago district in the Illinois House and worked as an attorney and in public-service roles focused on justice and community policy. She emerged from a competitive Democratic primary with Pritzker’s endorsement. Her general-election platform emphasized health care, abortion rights, labor protections and opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration and National Guard policies in Chicago. Tracy, an attorney and former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, argued that voters needed a check on the state’s Democratic leadership. His campaign focused on taxes, public safety, energy and federal spending. ## A representational milestone Stratton will become the second Black woman to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, following Carol Moseley Braun. Serving alongside Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, she will also make Illinois the first state represented simultaneously by two women of color in the chamber. The result brought the number of Black women serving in the Senate to three, according to [AP’s review of historic firsts](https://apnews.com/article/93d4d163acfd217521b5dce1ab7fc4a9?ref=theamericanquorum.com) in the 2026 election. Those milestones accompanied a result that was less surprising in partisan terms. Illinois has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1992, and Democrats have held both of its Senate seats since Republican Mark Kirk lost reelection in 2016. ## What remains before the result is final AP’s call means its decision team determined the trailing candidates could not overcome Stratton’s advantage based on the vote counted, the location and type of outstanding ballots, and Illinois’ voting history. It is not the same as the state’s final canvass and certification. Election authorities will continue processing valid ballots and reconciling local returns. The final vote totals and margin can therefore differ substantially from the early percentages reported shortly after polls closed. The office and winner are settled for election-night reporting: Juliana Stratton defeated Don Tracy and the other candidates for the open Illinois U.S. Senate seat. She will begin a six-year term with the new Congress. --- Feature photo: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at Camp Lincoln, photographed by Sgt. Trenton Fouche for the Illinois National Guard, via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juliana%5FStratton%5F2023%5F%28cropped%29.jpg?ref=theamericanquorum.com). Public domain as a U.S. National Guard work. Reformatted to a 16:9 landscape frame with blurred side fill; the portrait itself was not stretched.