February 20, 2026

An interesting Democratic primary in Illinois next month, pitting current Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton against Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. Krishnamoorthi had been expected to win comfortably, as he'd raised an obscene amount of money (nearing $30 mil as of 12/31/2025) and was spending it freely.

Juliana Stratton does have some heavy hitters backing her, though, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Governor J.D. Pritzker. Senators Angela Alsobrooks, Tammy Baldwin, and Elizabeth Warren have also endorsed her.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton unveiled her campaign’s first TV ad Thursday, a controversial half-minute spot that includes six people, including incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, hurling an expletive at President Donald Trump.

The ad begins with three people repeating the phrase, “F−−− Trump. Vote Juliana,” followed by Stratton, the current two-term lieutenant governor, saying, “They said it. I didn’t.”

Then in the ad, Stratton speaks about how she will stand up to Trump in Washington, D.C., and closes with another three people, including Duckworth, saying, “F−−− Trump,” before Gov. JB Pritzker appears briefly to say, “Vote Juliana.”

The campaign said a version of the ad that bleeps out the “F” word was being sent for broadcast TV stations to air. But an unredacted version was sent to reporters and appears on the campaign’s “YouTube” website. The campaign did not say if the unbleeped version would be used on cable or digital platforms.

They said it. We’re all thinking it.

Juliana Stratton (@julianastratton.bsky.social) 2026-02-19T17:36:40.123Z

Stratton gets Tammy Duckworth to say "Fuck Trump." But she also calls for ICE abolition and to "hold Trump accountable for his crimes." #ILSen

Eric Michael Garcia (@ericmgarcia.bsky.social) 2026-02-19T20:05:09.442Z

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