It’s rare that we can announce a history-making political event for women during Women’s History Month.
But that’s exactly what happened on March 17 when Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Illinois US Senate primary, setting up a cascade of historic events;
- Lt. Gov. Stratton will become only the sixth Black woman to ever serve in the Senate.
- Next year, the Senate will have three Black women serving concurrently for the first time ever—Lt. Gov. Stratton plus Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester.
- Illinois will be represented by two women for the first time in its history. Only eight other states have ever held this distinction.
Notably, Illinois also sent the first-ever Black woman to the Senate—Carol Moseley Braun in 1992.
Women have made other important strides in the Senate in recent years:
- In 2016, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina ever elected to the Senate.
- In 2018, Sen. Tammy Duckworth became the first Senator to give birth while in office.
- Last year, Sen. Blunt Rochester became the first woman to represent Delaware in the Senate. Twenty six states have still never had a female Senator.
Progress for women in the Senate is now happening faster than it ever has before, but it won’t keep happening if we don’t keep pushing for it.
As we wrap up Women’s History Month, please consider supporting our 2026 US Senate candidates at your next local event, including in primaries, since that’s where we can more easily build representation.