Democrat Juliana Stratton won the Illinois Senate race. She defeated Republican Don Tracy.
The Associated Press called the race for Stratton. She succeeds retiring Senator Dick Durbin.
Stratton becomes the sixth Black woman ever elected to the US Senate. She is the second from Illinois after Carol Moseley Braun, who won in 1992.
Three Black women in the Senate
Stratton is 60 and Illinois’ lieutenant governor. She held the office since 2019 alongside Governor JB Pritzker.
For the first time in history, three Black women will serve in the Senate together. Stratton joins Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland.
Illinois becomes the first state represented by two women of colour in the Senate at the same time. Stratton joins fellow Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
Stratton takes office on January 3, 2027. Durbin’s 30-year tenure in the chamber ends.
What is confirmed: Stratton won the race. Tracy lost. She becomes the sixth Black woman elected to the Senate.
