Juliana Stratton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois, who is poised to become only the sixth Black woman to serve in the Senate, says that if she is elected in November, she will not support Senator Chuck Schumer as the party’s longtime leader.
During an interview with YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella, as reported by The Hill, Stratton said, “I think right now what I’m hearing from voters all across the state of Illinois is that they are fed up. They’re fed up with what’s happening in Washington.”
Stratton, a progressive Democrat who is campaigning on abolishing ICE and Medicare for All, said Illinois voters are tired of the “status quo” from elected leaders in the nation’s capital.
“I can say that they are telling me very clearly that they’re looking for fighters and not folders. They want people who are going to stand up, fight for what’s important,” said Stratton, the current lieutenant governor of Illinois. “I see my role as a senator to be, of course, to pass common sense, good legislation to improve the lives of the people I represent. But there’s also a real desire and certainly a role that I want to help take on to push our party to be more courageous because that’s what people are looking for.”
Stratton added, “They’re looking for leaders who will meet this moment. We do not have a normal president.”
The Senate nominee, who will face Republican nominee Don Tracy on Nov. 3 and help determine which political party will control the U.S. Senate come January 2027, has fashioned her campaign around confronting President Donald Trump and his “authoritarian” governing style.
“We need real fighters in Washington, and I’m proud that I can look people in the eye on this campaign trail and let them know that I will be that fighter,” she said.
Stratton told Cocchiarella that, if elected, she would also oppose all of Trump’s nominees and appointees, which would need Senate confirmations.
“I made it very clear I will not confirm any Donald Trump nominee or appointee, whether this is to the Cabinet or to the Supreme Court or anywhere else,” she explained.
As for Senator Schumer, the New York Democrat has faced criticisms for not fighting hard enough against Trump’s controversial actions. So much so that left-wing voices of the Democratic Party are hoping that, in 2028, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez runs to unseat the 75-year-old politician who has served as the Senate leader since 2016. A poll of New York primary voters conducted last year found that Ocasio-Cortez is favored over Schumer, 55% to 36%.
Criticisms of Schumer have come primarily from House Democrats and liberal voices outside Congress, who have accused the Senate Minority Leader of being too willing to compromise on Republican spending bills, most notably when several Democrats agreed to a deal to end a record-breaking government shutdown over expiring Obamacare subsidies. The backlash was so strong that Schumer personally voted against the deal, presumably for political cover.
