Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton this week reportedly launched her Level Up political action committee (PAC)in preparation for running for the U.S. Senate. She made the move in case longtime Illinois Senator Dick Durbin does not run for a sixth term in 2026.
Stratton’s Level Up political action committee is a hybrid PAC that can give direct contributions to a candidate and maintain another account to operate as a super PAC. That campaign can take unlimited donations for independent expenditures to bolster candidates and causes — which could be very helpful in a Senate race.
Stratton told the Sun-Times that after President Donald Trump won reelection November 6, she “woke up like so many other Americans, wondering how to keep going. And one thing that I do know is we do have to keep going. We have to continue to work. This is uncharted territory, but we can’t give up.”
The Level Up board includes Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Precious Brad-Davis, and Sol Flores, a former deputy governor. Stratton reportedly has a close working relationship with the three women.
“Under the leadership of Governor Pritzker and my administration, Illinois has become a beacon of progress for working people, showing the rest of the country what it looks like to lead with bold action,” Stratton said.
“I’m proud of that work, and today, I’m taking it to the next level by launching Level Up PAC. Through Level Up, we will build on the success we’ve been able to deliver for middle class families and create a network of support for the people and organizations doing the work to help working people thrive.”
Durbin, 80, has not yet announced whether he will run in 2026. Stratton told the Sun-Times she would consider running for the Senate if Durbin retired from office. If that happens, Stratton must cut ties with Level Up and create a separate campaign committee.
If she wins the Senate race, she will become the second Black woman in Illinois, after Carol Mosley Braun, to hold a seat in the upper chamber of Congress.
Stratton told the Sun-Times that should Durbin run for a sixth term, she would endorse him.
Stratton, 59, who was raised in Hyde Park, was picked to be Lt. Governor by J.B. Pritzker in 2017 when he ran for governor that year.
Before she served as Lt. Governor, Stratton represented the 5th District in the Illinois House of Representatives after defeating incumbent Ken Dunkin in an expensive, highly publicized race, where she was endorsed by former President Barack Obama.
Prior to serving in public office, Stratton built a career as an experienced mediator and arbitrator and formerly served as an administrative law judge for several government agencies.
In 1997, she founded her own consulting firm, JDS Mediation Services, specializing in alternative dispute resolution.
Her prior roles include director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois Chicago; executive director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council; and deputy hearing commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.