With early voting underway in most Illinois jurisdictions, Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, a Democrat seeking Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, said she would oppose President Donald Trump’s policies if elected and wants Democrats to end the Senate filibuster if they take power.
Stratton said the filibuster had stalled progress on reproductive freedom and gun violence, including a federal assault-weapons ban. She said she does not hear Illinoisans worrying about the Democratic Party’s progressive wing; their concerns, as she described them, are affordability, democracy and rights. She also said some comments by online socialist commentator Hasan Piker offended her, and supported rooting out specific federal fraud while arguing that efforts should be more careful.
Stratton accused Trump of seeking to enrich himself, claiming he had made about $2 billion since taking office for a second term. Early voting began Thursday in most jurisdictions; Chicago’s in-person voting opens Oct. 1. After Republican opponent Don Tracy criticized her for declining debate invitations, Stratton agreed to a televised WTTW debate on Oct. 20. Tracy said she was afraid to engage and called her platform “open borders, open jails and open checkbooks.”
