How Julianna Stratton surged to victory in Illinois' Democratic Senate primary

Juliana Stratton's anti-ICE position, push for a $25/hour minimum wage and boost from Gov. JB Pritzker led to her win in Illinois, said Quentin Fulks, who led the super PAC backing her.

It was January, just two months until Illinois’ Democratic Senate primary. And Quentin Fulks saw a critical opening.

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and her two chief rivals had all voiced opposition to the aggressive operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But Stratton made a sharp distinction; she said she wanted to abolish ICE outright, while Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly took more nuanced positions.

Fulks, who led the main super PAC backing Stratton, quickly aired a TV ad promoting Stratton as the only major candidate seeking to get rid of ICE.

“We beat them to the punch on that issue,” he said. “The PAC went up first.”

Fulks knew from research how wildly unpopular ICE was with Democrats in the state, particularly after immigration enforcement officers wreaked havoc across Chicago and its suburbs for months in the fall of 2025.