Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton launching PAC to help potential Senate bid if Durbin does not run again

With Sen. Dick Durbin having not announced yet whether he will run again — and Gov. JB Pritzker still not confirming whether he will seek another term — Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Monday launched her Level Up federal political action committee to build up her political operation and bolster a potential Senate run.

Launching Level Up “is really, to me, it’s a declaration that I’m not going to stop fighting for the people of Illinois,” Stratton said.

“I also think that people around the nation need to see the good work that we’ve done here in Illinois, what policies that I’ve been able to do alongside Gov. Pritzker’s side, what our administration has done, like raising the minimum wage, enshrining reproductive freedom into state law, common-sense gun safety laws, investing in the largest infrastructure law in state history.”

Stratton, 59 and a former state representative from Chicago, landed on the statewide political map when Pritzker picked her to be his running mate.

Durbin, 80, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, was first elected in 1997 and is in his fifth term.

Pritzker, 60, is seen as running again in 2026 even as he eyes a 2028 presidential bid. When CNN’s Dana Bash asked him Sunday about a White House run, Pritzker said, “I got to tell you, we have a lot to accomplish in the state of Illinois. So I’m looking forward to that and just deciding whether or not I’m going to run for reelection here.”

To read the full report, visit chicago.suntimes.com.