3 Black women to make Senate history after Stratton win

Josephine Walker

Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton speaks to voters during a campaign stop on March 13, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Stratton seeks to win the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The Illinois Primary is Tuesday March 17. — Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton during a campaign stop in Chicago. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

For the first time in history, three Black women will serve simultaneously in the U.S. Senate when Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton takes office in January.

Why it matters: More than 235 years after the Senate first convened, two Black women served simultaneously for the first time. Two years later, that number will grow to three.

Driving the news: Stratton won election to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating Republican Don Tracy, per AP.

She'll join Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), who were both elected in 2024 and became the first two Black women to serve simultaneously in 2025.
The Stratton campaign did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

By the numbers: Stratton will become the sixth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the second from Illinois, where Carol Moseley Braun became the first Black woman ever elected to the chamber in 1992.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris became the second Black woman elected to the Senate in 2016. Former Sen. Laphonza Butler became the third to serve when California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her in 2023, but she was never elected.

The bottom line: Stratton and Sen. Tammy Duckworth will make Illinois the first state to be represented by two women of color in the Senate simultaneously.

Go deeper: Juliana Stratton wins Illinois U.S. Senate race, making history

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3 Black women to make Senate history after Stratton win

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