Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary for the state's open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday night, defeating a crowded field that included two sitting members of Congress and positioning herself to make history in November.

Stratton led with roughly 40% of the vote, ahead of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi at 33% and Rep. Robin Kelly at 18%, with over 80% of the vote counted when the Associated Press called the race. She will face former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy in the general election on November 3 in the deep blue state, making her the prohibitive favorite to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997.

If she wins, Stratton would become only the sixth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the second from Illinois following Carol Moseley Braun, who made history as the first in 1992. She would also join Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks, giving the chamber three Black women members simultaneously for the first time.

Stratton's victory was fueled by a late-stage surge, a commanding January debate performance, and significant financial backing from Gov. JB Pritzker, her longtime running mate and a potential 2028 presidential contender. Pritzker contributed at least $5 million to the Illinois Future PAC, which spent roughly $12.2 million boosting Stratton's campaign. That support proved critical against Krishnamoorthi, who entered the race as the perceived frontrunner with a $30 million war chest and had been running TV ads since last summer.

Stratton dominated in Chicago with roughly 44% of the city's vote and fought Krishnamoorthi to a draw in suburban Cook County. She ran as the most progressive candidate in the field, calling for Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage, and the abolition of ICE. She also made clear she would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to continue leading the Democratic caucus. "We need fighters and not folders," Stratton said.

Pritzker's heavy involvement drew public criticism from the Congressional Black Caucus. Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke accused the governor of trying to "tip the scales," calling his spending in the race something that "won't soon be forgotten." CBC members had split their endorsements between Stratton and Kelly.

Stratton, 60, was born and raised in Chicago's Pill Hill neighborhood on the South Side. Her father was a radiologist and Navy veteran who, as a teenager, was barred from visiting the U.S. Capitol because of the color of his skin. Stratton became a lawyer, won a state House seat in 2016, and joined Pritzker's ticket in 2018 as the first Black woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Illinois.

Both Moseley Braun and Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed her campaign. In her victory speech Tuesday night, Stratton kept it simple: "We showed what's possible when you listen to the people and give the people what they want."