Juliana Stratton
Juliana Stratton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Elect | |
| Assuming office January 14, 2019 | |
| Governor | J. B. Pritzker (elect) |
| Succeeding | Evelyn Sanguinetti |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 5th District | |
| Assumed office January 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Dunkin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juliana Wiggins September 8, 1965 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BS) DePaul University (JD) |
Juliana Stratton (née Wiggins) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives since January 2017. She represented the 5th district. As of 2018, she is the Democratic Lieutenant Governor-elect in the 2018 election and the first black woman to be elected to that position in the state.[1]
Early life
Stratton was born to a schoolteacher mother and doctor father, and raised in the South Side of Chicago, where she attended Kenwood Academy.[2] Stratton earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University.[3] Stratton has been the director for the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago since July 2015.[4] Prior to that, she was the executive director at Cook County Justice for Children and president of a mediation services company.
Political career
In 2016, Stratton challenged Ken Dunkin for the fifth district seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. She received an endorsement from President Barack Obama,[5] as well as support from several unions due to her support for "child care, labor, and home care".[6] In March 2016, she defeated Dunkin decisively, with 68% of the vote,[6] in a race noted to be one of the most expensive in Illinois, with a total of $6 million in contributions for the candidates.[4][7][8] By August 2017, she had led 25 bills, with 9 appearing before Governor Bruce Rauner, and served on several committees.[6]
On August 9, 2017, Stratton was announced as J. B. Pritzker's running mate in the 2018 gubernatorial election.[9] She cited early childhood education and women's reproductive rights as two of her priorities,[6] with criminal justice reform as another.[2] As of November 7, 2018, she was elected to the position of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.[1]
Personal life
Stratton is the mother of three children and lives in Bronzeville. She cites her hobby of running marathons and triathlons as giving her the discipline needed for the rigors of campaigning.[6] In Chicago, she is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the city's chapter of Jack and Jill of America.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Rhodes Scholar Antonio Delgado is Headed to Congress • EBONY". EBONY. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ a b "Meet Juliana - JB Pritzker for Governor". JB Pritzker for Governor. 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ "City Club of Chicago: J.B Pritzker & Juliana Stratton". WGN Radio - 720 AM. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ a b "Two Illinois primaries test party loyalty - Breeze-Courier". Breeze Courier. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ Schulte, Sarah (2016-03-16). "Stratton beats Dunkin in Democratic primary for 5th District". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Juliana Stratton: Pritzker's Running Mate Speaks Out". The Chicago Defender. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Lee, Monique Garcia, David Heinzmann, William. "Madigan-backed Stratton defeats incumbent Dunkin in state House race". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ 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.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Juliana Stratton, Illinois 2016 primary election". Sun-Times 2018 primary candidate questionnaires. Retrieved 2018-11-07.