Black women have continued to make strides in U.S. politics and have now reached a new milestone in the Senate. In a chamber of Congress where only a handful of Black people have ever served, three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time, more than at any other point in U.S. history.
Juliana Stratton makes history with Illinois Senate victory
The unprecedented number of Black women to be seated in the U.S. Senate in January comes as Juliana Stratton, the lieutenant governor of Illinois, won the election to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. Stratton’s victory keeps the Illinois Senate seat in Democratic hands. More historically, her win is a milestone for multiple reasons. Stratton will become only the sixth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, a legacy that began when Carol Moseley Braun, who was elected in 1992 by the people of Illinois, became the first Black woman to serve in the Senate. Stratton’s victory will also mean that Illinois will be the first state to be simultaneously represented in the Senate by two women of color as Stratton joins Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth in representing the state. Stratton’s decision to run for the Senate also opened up the position of running mate for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who chose former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell to run for the lieutenant governor’s position. Pritzker and Mitchell won as well, making Mitchell the first Black man to serve in the No. 2 spot in the state.
Stratton ready to ‘get to work’ as she joins other Black women in the Senate
“A year and a half ago I stood before you and promised that if you sent me to the United States Senate, I would fight tooth and nail for you. I promised that I would bring a bold new vision to Washington and not give Donald Trump an inch,” Stratton posted after her victory was projected. “Well, you held up your end of the bargain, and now I’m ready to hold up mine. I am incredibly proud to stand before you today as the next U.S. Senator from the great state of Illinois,” Stratton wrote. Calling her win “a mandate for change, for bold new leadership,” Stratton told voters, “Let’s get to work.”
When Stratton takes office in January, she will join Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who were both elected in 2024. This will mean that three Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time for the first time in U.S. history. Alsobrooks congratulated Stratton on her victory, posting, “A BIG welcome to my new Sister Senator, @JulianaStratton!”
Record number of Black women senators and Black governors
Stratton’s historic victory comes amid a groundbreaking midterm election that will also lead to a record number of Black governors serving in the country, as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore easily won reelection and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Byron Donalds won the governor races in Georgia and Florida, respectively. The number of Black women in the Senate could have been even larger, given how many ran this election cycle. Democratic socialist Angie Nixon fell short in her underdog bid to win Florida’s Senate seat, with Republican Ashley Moody winning the race in President Trump’s home state. N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a Black and Native American democratic socialist who won Oklahoma’s Democratic Senate primary, also came up short in her race against Republican Kevin Hern to fill the Senate seat left vacant when Republican Markwayne Mullin was chosen by President Trump to serve as homeland security secretary.
Even though Nixon and Thomas did not win their races, the strong showings they had in deep red states demonstrated the surge of progressive Democrats in 2026 and the prominence of Black women in the Democratic Party. Stratton’s victory is another milestone for Illinois, the state that previously sent the first Black woman to the U.S. Senate, and it is part of a wave of Black politicians taking higher offices in numbers never before seen in the nation’s history.