CHICAGO — Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate received the endorsement Friday of EMILYs List, a group that plays a major role in the party’s political infrastructure by backing women candidates who support abortion rights.
The endorsement of Stratton was the group’s first involving 2026 U.S. Senate candidates nationally and also marks a departure for the organization, which traditionally does not make a choice in primaries featuring multiple women candidates backing abortion.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, a 12-year member of Congress, is also contending for the nomination. Like Stratton, Kelly is a Black woman and a strong abortion rights advocate.
Stratton, who is the two-term lieutenant governor under Gov. JB Pritzker, Kelly, and five-term U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, are the three major candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to replace veteran U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his fifth term in 2027. Pritzker endorsed Stratton soon after she declared her candidacy for Senate.
The group’s backing of Stratton may in part represent the growing power of Pritzker in national Democratic politics as he not only seeks a third term as governor but also is a prospective candidate for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. In addition to getting Pritzker’s backing, Stratton has also been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
“Juliana Stratton is a bold leader who throughout her time in public service has taken on tough fights and worked to make life easier for Illinoisans,” Jessica Mackler, the group’s president, said in a statement.
“At a time of unprecedented Republican recklessness in Washington, Juliana will be a fierce advocate for the people of Illinois, standing up to Donald Trump and working to level the playing field for families,” Mackler said.
The group credited Stratton’s backing of a state law that enshrined a woman’s right to abortion in Illinois, as well as legislation that allowed for abortion coverage regardless of patients’ insurance.
The decision by the group to weigh in on the primary race may also reflect the fundraising abilities of Krishnamoorthi, who has vastly outraised his competition, and the potential that two leading Black women candidates would split the March 17 primary vote, allowing him to win the nomination.
But the group’s endorsement of Stratton was not without controversy.
A dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including its chair, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, joined other Kelly allies in writing a letter to EMILY’s List expressing “profound concern” over the group’s action. Clarke had endorsed Kelly in May and several caucus members had been lobbying the group to stay neutral in the race.
“We are dismayed that in a time of crisis and chaos in our country, EMILY’s List would choose to divide Democrats rather than celebrate two Black women running to make history again in Illinois and the U.S. Senate,” the letter said.
“It’s hard for us to believe this endorsement is anything other than money and influence winning again in politics,” the letter said in apparent reference to the billionaire governor. “We should allow voters and grassroots supporters to have their say. We cannot let billionaire backing or political gamesmanship strip away from EMILY’s List’s long record of fairly and thoughtfully lifting up qualified women for higher office.”
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