Juliana Stratton

Juliana Stratton (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. 

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.

Personal life
Stratton is married and is the mother of four daughters and lives in Bronzeville. Stratton was among the first customers to purchase cannabis when Illinois began recreational sale of the drug on January 1, 2020.

References

Other websites

 Government website

Category:1965 births
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the Illinois General Assembly
Category:DePaul University alumni
Category:Lieutenant Governors of Illinois
Category:Politicians from Chicago
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians
Category:African-American politicians