Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
10 years ago, when I was caring for my mother Velma through the end of her battle with Alzheimer’s, my state representative voted with then-Governor Rauner to cut health care and services that seniors like my mother depended on. But Illinois families like mine deserved better; they deserved someone who would stand up for them. So I ran – and won.
For the last seven years, I’ve been building on that work – working with Governor JB Pritzker to prioritize the real issues that matter to families, that make everyday people’s lives better. We’ve raised the minimum wage, protected reproductive freedom, banned assault weapons, invested in our education, rebuilt roads and bridges, created thousands of jobs, and the list goes on.
I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished because it’s the same work I set out to do 10 years ago – to show that government can be a partner to the people, not a roadblock. What we’ve achieved in Illinois can serve as a blueprint for the entire country, and that’s what I’ll bring to the U.S. Senate.
Illinoisans deserve a leader who will go to the mat fighting for them — I am that fighter. Running for the United States Senate wasn’t something I’ve spent years planning – but just like I was called 10 years ago, I’m once again stepping up to fill a need because Donald Trump is dragging us into a five alarm fire, and our state, our country, and the American people deserve real leadership at the table.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Life is way too expensive. Trump’s tariffs and rampant corporate greed are skyrocketing prices on everything from food to health care to utilities, and our families are suffering as a result.
Politicians are failing to hold corporate interests accountable, and being rewarded by them. This system fails Illinoisans. I’m the only candidate in this race rejecting corporate PAC money, because your needs should come before corporate special interests.
Illinoisans deserve a life where they can put food on the table without worrying about making rent or skipping their medication to afford it. Alongside Governor Pritzker, I’ve helped bring down costs, ensure workers are paid fairly, eliminate the grocery tax, raise the minimum wage, relieve medical debt, and lower prescription drug prices – putting money back in your pockets.
On the federal level, I’ll fight for a $25 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and a tax cut for the middle class. I want to cut red tape, build more, and ensure that families aren’t competing with big banks to afford housing. I will stand up to Donald Trump and his trade war on working families. And I will work to restore Medicaid and Medicare funding.
My campaign is about giving the people what they want. Read my full affordability blueprint at JulianaStratton.com.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
I have never shied away from defending immigrant communities, and I won’t back down now when basic rights are on the line. The Trump Administration is engineering a crisis – a spectacle designed for headlines, not for public safety. The point of this stunt is to intimidate, distract, and tear communities apart.
ICE must be abolished and the occupation of American cities by ICE and CBP must end. Border security should take place at the border, not roam neighborhood streets terrorizing innocent civilians. DHS’s immigration enforcement budget has ballooned to over $150 billion under Trump. Taxpayers have wasted over $59 million in Operation Midway Blitz alone – critical dollars better spent in programs that invest in communities. Meanwhile, one of my opponents, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, not only voted to “express gratitude” to ICE, but also accepted $30,000 from the CTO at Palantir, whose software helps ICE track and deport undocumented immigrants.
I would support legislation to increase accountability and transparency, including the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to keep ICE out of schools, churches, and hospitals, require clear identification and banning non-medical face coverings for agents, and the codification of use of force policies for DHS. While we must address the immediate harms being done to immigrant communities, we also need to take action to repair this broken system. I want to build a better pathway to citizenship, including for Dreamers, and would proudly support the American DREAM and Promise ACT.
How should the Senate address the rising costs of health care?
Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and Medicare rip funding away from hospitals and critical healthcare services. Meanwhile, they’ve refused to extend ACA subsidies that millions of Americans rely on for affordable coverage.
Having served as a caretaker for my mother, I know that accessible, quality, and affordable healthcare is a lifeline for so many. I ran for office ten years ago because my State Representative sided with Republicans to cut health services for seniors like my mom. I ran and won, because my family, my community, and people across Illinois deserved better.
Illinois is protecting reproductive healthcare, expanding mental health services, eliminating medical debt, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and more. I want to bring Illinois’ blueprint to D.C. But the system is fundamentally broken and we need real, long-term change, not just interim fixes. That’s why I will proudly fight for Medicare for All.
My main opponent, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is one of the largest recipients of healthcare industry money in Congress, and his donors have spent millions lobbying against Medicare for All. While he is content maintaining the status quo, I’ll bring bold new ideas and fight to actually make healthcare more affordable for middle class families. We have to act and we have to fight for guaranteed coverage by Medicare for All. We cannot stop working towards the goal of ensuring every single American has access to the healthcare they deserve.
What approach would you take on tax policy?
The Trump Administration has rigged the economy to work for the wealthiest – handing out tax cuts to corporations and the ultra-wealthy on the backs of everyday people. I believe in building an economy that puts people first – one that works for working and middle class Illinoisans. That starts with making sure corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share and putting money back in the pockets of Illinoisans by making sure workers are paid a livable wage.
Specific policies I’d support include: passing a tax cut for the middle class, paid for with a tax increase on those making more than a million dollars a year; ensuring corporations are paying their fair share in taxes; expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to help combat poverty, especially child poverty; and expanding the Child Tax Credit.
We should also be intentional with how the federal government spends Illinoisans’ hard-earned tax dollars, appropriating them to programs which uplift our middle class, not wasting them on unnecessary or frivolous expenses like financing ICE’s constitutional overreach, avoidable wars abroad, or enabling Trump’s profiteering. Tax revenue should be spent on initiatives like quality, accessible health care, affordable housing, child care, SNAP benefits to support our nation’s most vulnerable populations, because when they thrive, our whole community thrives, too. I’ll support tax policies that serve Illinoisans, not corporate special interests; unlike my opponent, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, I refuse to accept a dime of corporate PAC money because I’ll always put Illinoisans first.
Should any changes be made to the size of the Supreme Court or the confirmation process?
Trump continues to chip away at Congressional power, use the Justice Department as a tool of retribution, and abuse his office to target political “enemies” and those who refuse to bend to his every whim. He is eroding the concept of separate but co-equal branches of government, and I refuse to sit back while Trump and his cronies systematically dismantle our democracy. Illinois is fighting back. When Trump tried to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, we went to court – and won. When he tried to use federal funding as political retaliation, we beat him in court again.
I’ll always protect the separation of powers and defend the Constitution. I’d oppose Trump’s Supreme Court nominees and block appointments to the federal judiciary whose blind loyalty to the President overshadows their commitment to the rule of law. I would take my duty and my oath seriously, ensuring what I’m doing is actually in the best interest of the American people. I support reforming the Supreme Court, and would be open to a variety of options including term limits and deadlines to confirm new appointments or potential expansion. We need steadfast oversight, not rogue judges who rubber stamp Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
We’re living in unprecedented times, and we need leaders who will fight for justice and due process for Illinoisans and Americans across the country.
Do you believe the structure of the Senate leads to legislative gridlock? What would you change?
Our government should be a partner to the people, not a road block. Americans’ elected representatives should fight for their constituents’ wellbeing. If the system isn’t working for the people it should exist to serve, then we need to reevaluate and reform it.
I also believe we should strive to reach bipartisan legislative solutions to lower the cost of living, expand access to health care, secure voting rights, and protect our fundamental freedoms. But now, Congressional Republicans are actively going against their own constituents’ best interests. They cut billions of federal investment in Medicaid and are going after your earned Social Security benefits. They’ve allowed Donald Trump’s tariffs to drive up prices on everything from clothing to coffee. They’re seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters through the SAVE Act.
Illinoisans need their next Senator to stand up and act. I believe in a democracy that gets things done and improves the lives of everyday Americans. I would support abolishing or significantly reforming the filibuster in order to achieve progress that has been blocked like protecting voting rights and abortion rights.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the Senate play in dealing with it?
Donald Trump is destroying the United States’ standing on the global stage through his reckless and misguided foreign policy – including everything from his haphazard approach to our alliances, his withdrawal from critical global organizations, and his chaotic trade policy. Take his blanket tariffs for example. He told the American people he would bring down prices “on day one,” but his reckless tariffs are raising prices on consumer goods and making it harder for families to make purchases at a time when so many are already struggling to afford groceries, pay for childcare, and keep the lights on. Trump’s tariffs haven’t strengthened our economy – they’ve put a tax on working families. Tariffs are one of the reasons why we’ve seen the prices of groceries, housing, and other basic needs continue to rise.
Agriculture, construction, and manufacturing are just some of the industries being hit the hardest by this policy. Illinois families, small businesses, and local economies are suffering. The Senate must take decisive action to take back tariff authority from the President and reinstate Congress’ power of the purse. Trump has turned America into a laughingstock on the world stage and treated our allies like adversaries. He continues to disregard the Constitution and disregard the powers of Congress, all to make decisions in his own interests, or those of his wealthy friends and family. While people are worried about the cost of groceries and healthcare, Trump is sending America into chaos to inflate his own ego and line his own pockets.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
Illinois continues to invest in 21st century, cutting-edge technologies, creating opportunities for AI innovation and growth in Illinois while also being a national leader in smart regulation. AI innovation must benefit everyone, not simply help tech industry giants at the expense of working families. We must protect U.S. jobs and the American workforce during the transition.
AI innovation should uphold anti-discrimination practices, ensure it’s built and deployed equitably, and center workers’ needs as it is integrated into our daily lives. AI has a remarkable potential to create highly-skilled, good-paying jobs and uplift communities. We must invest in workforce development and training that upskills and reskills workers for AI, ensuring that they can better understand and utilize AI innovation to enhance their workflow, and not be left behind. We should expand Pell Grants to trade and technical education so that more young people can have access to those opportunities.
It means pro worker solutions: ensuring our workers have a seat at the table in determining how AI is implemented in their workplaces, safeguarding workers and graduates whose jobs are displaced, and averting the offshoring of American jobs.
In order to fully benefit from AI innovation, we must use it correctly: implementing technology that makes ALL of our lives easier, and not sacrificing our values and benefiting only the wealthy few. If elected to the U.S. Senate, I welcome the opportunity to work with public and private stakeholders in navigating the challenges and opportunities facing our changing workforce.
How will your approach differ from or mirror that of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin?
Illinois has an open Senate seat, and it matters who fills it.
Like Senator Durbin, I will amplify the voices and advocate for the needs of the whole state of Illinois. However, I’m running to bring new ideas and new perspectives to Washington, and I’ve made it clear that I will not vote for Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader because we need fighters in the Senate right now. This race is a choice between the status quo or someone like me who will go to the mat fighting for you with a bold vision for what is possible.
I’ve heard time and again as I travel the state that Washington isn’t working for the people – that Illinoisans are looking for new leadership, new voices, and new energy that will meet this moment. My campaign is all about giving the people what they want: a livable wage, access to healthcare, a tax break for the middle class, and to make sure their leaders aren’t beholden to corporate special interests and will keep the people right at the forefront of what they do. I will be that leader.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
We need bold change in Washington and we need new leadership. The Democratic Party needs to prioritize real steps to make life more affordable and uplift the members of our community who need it most.
We need to secure Medicare for All, because when you’re sick, everyone deserves to be able to get the care they need and no one should have to choose between putting food on the table and affording critical prescription medication.
We need to raise the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour, embracing ambitious goals to improve economic opportunity for the hardworking middle class that is the backbone of our country. Democrats in the Senate were unable to secure a federal minimum wage increase even when we had the White House and the Congressional majority, and it’s clear we need a new approach and new voices who will push the party to be more courageous on our priorities. In Illinois, we’ve successfully raised the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, and I want to build on that work. I’ll bring that enthusiasm and proven track record to D.C., refusing to lower my standards and pushing for decisive action.
While Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans want to take us back in time, I’ll advocate for progress. While career politicians in Washington are content with the status quo, I’m not afraid to shake things up and dare to dream of a better future where everyone can not only make ends meet, but thrive.