Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton on Tuesday won the Democratic Party primary to replace retiring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, U.S. media projected, putting her in position to win the November election in this solidly Democratic state.
Stratton, 60, defeated 10 other Democratic candidates vying for the nomination, including U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.
Stratton was endorsed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and was viewed as the most progressive of the top three candidates.
She campaigned on a platform to increase the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour from $7.25, and backed the elimination of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has conducted immigrant deportation efforts in Chicago and other major U.S. cities.
If Stratton prevails in the fall general election, she would be the sixth Black person serving in the U.S. Senate when it convenes in January - a new record - assuming Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is re-elected, as expected.
