Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton announced she will run for U.S. Senate next year on Thursday morning. If she wins the Democratic primary and the subsequent general election, Stratton would be the second Black woman elected to represent Illinois in the Senate.

It didn’t take long for the race to succeed retiring Sen. Richard J. Durbin in Illinois to begin taking shape. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton launched her campaign Thursday, the day after the longtime No.