Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton ’s bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate received the endorsement Friday of EMILYs List, a group that plays a major role in the party’s political infrastructure by backing women candidates who support abortion rights.

The endorsement of Stratton was the group’s first involving 2026 U.S. Senate candidates nationally and also marks a departure for the organization, which traditionally does not make a choice in primaries featuring multiple women candidates backing abortion.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Lynwood, a 12-year member of Congress, is also contending for the nomination. Like Stratton, Kelly is a Black woman and a strong abortion rights advocate.

Stratton, who is the two-term lieutenant governor under Gov. JB Pritzker, Kelly, and five-term U.S.

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