Two elder statesmen in the Democratic Party in Illinois are backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for the U.S. Senate primary.
Former Congressman Bobby Rush, who represented much of the South Side of Chicago for 30 years, and former Secretary of State Jesse White, whose career spanned nearly 50 years, announced their endorsement for Stratton on Wednesday.
The backstory:
Stratton, who has served as Gov. JB Pritzker’s second-in-command since 2019, is vying for the Democratic nomination in a crowded field of high-profile candidates.
Juliana Stratton, lieutenant governor of Illinois, speaks during a news conference in Aurora, Illinois, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday ordered the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who left the state to block a contro
White made history as the first Black Secretary of State for Illinois and served for six terms in office, the most ever.
Rush was the co-founder of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party before serving in Congress where he was key in passing the Emmet Till Antilynching Act of 2022. He also notably defeated then-State Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic primary race in 2000.
Stratton has already received endorsements from Pritzker and Tammy Duckworth, the other sitting U.S. senator from Illinois.
It’s an open seat after longtime Sen. Dick Durbin announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election in 2026.
Other Democratic candidates include U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, of Matteson.