Juliana Stratton

Juliana Stratton
Stratton in 2023
48th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
GovernorJB Pritzker
Preceded byEvelyn Sanguinetti
63rd Chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association
In office
2022–2023
Preceded byMike Foley
Succeeded byAdam Gregg
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 5th district
In office
January 11, 2017 – January 2, 2019
Preceded byKenneth Dunkin
Succeeded byLamont Robinson
Personal details
Born
Juliana Wiggins

(1965-09-08) September 8, 1965 (age 61)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
William Stratton
​
(div. 2016)​

Bryan Echols
Children4
Education

Juliana Stratton (née Wiggins; born September 8, 1965) is an American politician and lawyer. Since 2019, she has been the 48th lieutenant governor of Illinois under Governor J. B. Pritzker. She is the first African-American woman ever elected to this office. Stratton is a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in the 2026 election. Stratton has been seen as a political progressive.

Early life

Stratton was born to a schoolteacher mother and doctor father, and raised in the South Side of Chicago. Stratton earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University.

Political career

Before becoming lieutenant governor, Stratton served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from January 2017 to 2019. She represented the 5th district.

On August 9, 2017, it was announced that Stratton would be J. B. Pritzker's running mate in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

In April 2025, following U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's retirement announcement, Stratton announced her candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Senate election to replace him. She won the Democratic nomination in March 2026, beating U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.

Personal life

Stratton is married and is the mother of four daughters and lives in Bronzeville. She first married William Stratton, with whom she had three children; they divorced in 2016. She married Bryan Echols, who has one child.

Stratton was among the first customers to purchase cannabis when Illinois began recreational sale of the drug on January 1, 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Tribune (TNS), Rick Pearson and Dan Petrella-Chicago (2026-01-26). "Juliana Stratton takes progressive lane, only one who calls for abolishing ICE in Democratic US Senate debate". Union-Bulletin. Retrieved 2026-01-29.[permanent dead link]
  2. ↑ "Meet Juliana - JB Pritzker for Governor". JB Pritzker for Governor. October 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ "City Club of Chicago: J.B Pritzker & Juliana Stratton". WGN Radio - 720 AM. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ Cholke, Sam and Jamie Nesbitt Golden (March 15, 2016). "Juliana Stratton Trounces Ken Dunkin In Battle With Madigan-Rauner Ties". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ Miller, Rich (August 9, 2017). "Pritzker to pick Rep. Stratton". Capitol Fax. Springfield, Illinois. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  6. ↑ Sfondeles, Tina (April 24, 2025). "Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton becomes first major Democrat to launch Senate bid to replace Durbin". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Juliana Stratton Wins Democratic Primary for Senate in Deep-Blue Illinois". The New York Times. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  8. ↑ Brack, Naomii (September 28, 2020). "Juliana (Wiggins) Stratton (1965- )". Black Past. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ Jaeger, Kyle (January 1, 2020). "Illinois Lieutenant Governor Buys Marijuana On State's First Day Of Legal Sales". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved January 7, 2020.

Other websites

Media related to Juliana Stratton at Wikimedia Commons