June 3, 2026 • 32 mins
In this episode of Now You Know, Knowa sits down with Illinois Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton for an in-depth conversation about her recent primary victory, her journey from caregiver and community advocate to statewide leader, and why she's ready to take her fight to Washington, D.C.
Stratton reflects on the campaign that propelled her to victory, sharing how her message of "giving the people what they want" resonated with voters across Illinois. Together, they discuss some of the biggest issues facing working families today, including healthcare, wages, economic affordability, reproductive rights, immigration, and the future of democracy.
Whether you're following the 2026 election cycle closely or simply want to hear directly from one of the nation's rising political leaders, this episode offers an unfiltered look at the values, priorities, and policies driving Juliana Stratton's campaign.
Follow Knowa on all socials: https://linktr.ee/knowadebaraso
Learn more about IL Lt. Gov. Stratton: https://ltgov.illinois.gov/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now you know, and No de Brosso is a production
of iHeartMedia and partnership with Recent Choice Media. What's going on, everybody, Well, look,
this episode today is timely because we had the lieutenant
governor of Illinois who's gotten so many things done. I
(00:21):
must say I don't usually say that about candidates, but
the lieutenant governor of Illinois just won her Democratic primary
for the US Senate on a very blunt message something
I can't even repeat. She had a rather vulgar ad
regarding the president, but a message of fighting for the
people of Illinois, abolishing ice even to my surprise, Medicare
(00:42):
for all, and a message of a very progressive message
as opposed to her establishment opponent, Roger. Christna Morphy had
the institutional back and the funding in this close and folks,
I say this close to almost almost a president of
endorsement because he worked for him a long long time ago.
(01:02):
But we're going to get into that. We're gonna get
into all that. But folks, she was runn against an
establishment candidate and she made it through as the progressive
in the Illinois primary race. Well, now, folks, I introduced
to you the Democratic I can now say the Democratic
nominee someone I've known since before all of this, the
Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Illinois, Julianna Stratton,
(01:25):
and I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Good to see you again.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
It's good. Congratulations on your on your victory.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Thank you. I was excited about this conversation. Absolutely, I
was like, when are we going to talk about my race?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Absolutely, it's about time.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You're one of the greatest influencers that I know.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I really appreciate that. Seriously, I thank you, and congratulations
on the big win. We worked so hard on that.
I made so many phone calls and it's I was
just it was wonderful. So I appreciate you. Congratulations, Thank you, absolutely.
Well you I have my first question for you. You
started catching up in the race in like the middle
(02:06):
sort of the ending part. We were so scared and
all that we were like, we have to get across
the finish line. Well, were you worried when you saw
poles in the middle in the beginning of the primary?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, I mean, look, I'm first of all, very excited
and proud of the outcome of this primary. I know
that Illinoians across the state talked about how they wanted to.
They wanted a fighter in Washington, d C. They wanted
someone who was going to remember what mattered to them
and who was going to always center their voices. And
(02:41):
I knew all along that I had the message that
people that really resonated with Illinoians and talked about how
I wanted to give the people what they want. And so, yes,
I mean, you look at poles, you look at a
lot of different things. But what was important to me
was to stay focused on my why, why I was
doing this, And in so many ways, my why was
(03:02):
centered in how I ran for office in the first place.
Ten years ago. Ten years ago, I was the caregiver
for my mother. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I
was a mom, I was a career woman, but I
was also spending so much time trying to make sure
that my mother had access to the care she needed.
And it was at a time when my state representative
(03:24):
and our previous governor here in Illinois.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Were working to strip away healthcare.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
From seniors like my mother, and I got angry and
I ran against that state representative because I knew that
government should not be a roadblock to the people.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
It should be a partner.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
And so I ran and I won because I saw
a need and I stepped up to meet that need,
and that was why I ran for Senate. And so
I think we always as a candidate have to start
with why are you doing this? And for me, it
was because I saw a real need with all the
chaos we see coming out of Washington, d C. For steady, stable,
courageous leadership. And I just stayed focused on that, and
(04:02):
every single day I got out of and talked to people,
and you know, chrisscrossed the state and made sure that
the people were at the center and that's ultimately what
resonated and got us over the finish line.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Absolutely. And I've been following you since before you launched
any Senate campaign or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Don't want to have.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yes, ma'am. I want to know what made you not
want to run for another term as lieutenant governor and
why the Senate.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, like I said, I mean, once again, I saw
a real need and stepped up to meet that need.
And I can say that when we look at what's
happening in Washington, I always say that Donald Trump has
ignited a five alarm fire, and every day we are
waking up to a new news story, a new headline
about something that this president and his administration is doing
(04:48):
to take us backwards. We've seen attacks on the rule
of law. We've seen attacks on our constitution. We've seen
attacks on our rights and our democracy. Right here in Illinois,
we have seen attacks our neighbors. And if there's anything
that people are looking for right now is they're looking
for real fighters in Washington. They're looking for someone who's
going to stand up to Donald Trump and stand up
(05:11):
for working families. That is the record that I've had
here in Illinois, and I think it's important to now
take that same fight to Washington, d C. And make
sure we stand up to somebody who wants to be
a dictator. I'm not going to let that happen.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Absolutely Well, before we start talking about DC in the
Senate and all that November and January inauguration stuff, I
want to ask you, even back to a few weeks ago.
Your opponent had a lot of money. How did you
beat that sort of money? Was it your message or
anything like that? You beat him with a fraction I
think of what he had.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yes, we did, and when we did so by speaking
about the issues that really matter to people. You know,
I talked about my sort of campaign tagline was to
give the people what they want.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It wasn't just a tagline.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It was literally about talking about the issues that really
matter to people. Affordability is a big issue, of course,
and everything is just so expensive right now, whether it's
gas or utilities, or housing, and certainly healthcare, which as
you know, has motivated me to run for office in
the first place. And so when I'm listening to people
(06:21):
across our state and they're saying it is harder to
make ends meet.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I talked about that issue.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I talked about how we need to not just address
the affordability crisis as a whole, but very specifically giving
the people what they want, look like raising the minimum wage.
And I'm going to fight to raise the minimum wage
at the federal level to twenty five dollars an hour
because right now it's seven dollars and twenty five cents.
(06:50):
That's not enough for anyone to take care of their family.
I'm going to fight for medicare for all. That was
a message that resonated because so many people, when they're sick,
they just don't have access to a doctor. And healthcare
is becoming more and more expensive every single day. Yeah,
and I want to make sure that we get corporate
pack money out of politics, because we should be focused
(07:13):
on the people that we represent and not corporate special interest.
So that was a message of giving the people what
they want. And that message didn't come because I sat
with somebody and said, Okay, well, what should we call
this or what should we do. It came from listening
to the people of Illinois. And I think that's what
we all should be doing right now, listening to the
people and making sure their voices are centered.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yes, I heard you talk about a twenty five dollars
an hour minimum wage. Minimum wage is one of those
things that we discussed on literally almost every episode here.
I've never heard the twenty five dollars figure, though, because
most of the candidates are not from progressive states like Illinois.
Why twenty five.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Because we shouldn't just be talking about what's the bare
minimum that we can give people.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
We should be talking about a livable wage.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Right now, we have too many Americans that are living
below what would be considered a livable wage. And I
can tell you that seven you know, even here in Illinois,
we raised the minimum wage. It was the first big
bill that Governor Pritzkerna got signed into law.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We raised it to fifteen.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Dollars an hour when we first took office over seven
years ago. Even a fifteen dollars an hour minimum wage
has an annual that's an annual salary of about thirty
one thousand, two hundred dollars a year. Now, split that
in half and you'll get what the federal minimum wage is.
(08:41):
So literally, you're talking about, you know, fifteen, sixteen thousand
dollars a year. That is not enough for anyone to
take care of their family, let alone themselves. And the
federal minimum wage has not been raised since two thousand
and nine. And here we are with everything being so expensive,
And what I always say is, why do we keep
(09:03):
talking about the bare minimum for people. Let's give people
enough money in their pockets to take care of themselves,
to put food on the table for their families, to
save a little for the future, and to spend in
our small businesses.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So I know that here in Illinois we're going to
We've looked at and figured out a way to raise
it to a certain extent, but this needs to be
federal policy, so that states that don't have leaders who
want to raise the minimum wage, who are willing to
let their residents struggle at seven dollars and twenty five cents.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's unacceptable.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And I'm going to fight to raise the minimum wage
at the federal level.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Absolutely, And I'm so excited to talk about the general
election and Washington. All that last question about the primary,
I was following every little thing. I was sweating on
that couch, like, oh my god, she's almost there. Did
you think that the congresswoman was a spoiler in the race?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Look, I ran this race, I think everybody.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I've always entered a race knowing that I wanted to
get my message out and try to earn the support
of voters, and that's what I did. And I think
the outcome demonstrates that my message resonated with voters and
that they were really looking for someone to bring new energy,
new perspective, and new ideas to Washington, d C. So
(10:22):
I'm proud of what happened, and I'll keep moving forward
focused on the people of Illinois.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yes, so we're ready to talk about Washington, right to
talk about the general election. Tell the people listening, because
this is a we talk a lot about misinformation all
that stuff, and I'm sure your Republican opponent has lots
of that. Tell us about the person that you're running
against right now and the campaign you're running against them.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, well, I mean, I first of all, I'm taking
my general campaign very seriously, and I'm already out there
working with people. We've had an official kickoff, and I'm
going to be listening to voters just like I did
in the primary.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Camp Pain. I'm running against Don.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Tracy, who in so many ways is just too extreme
for Illinois. He's anti choice, and you know, Illinois, we
have worked hard to protect reproductive freedom. Don Tracy, my opponent,
is somebody who is a proponent of the war in Iran.
And you know, I've made it very clear that this
(11:25):
is a war that Donald Trump has dragged us all into.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Nobody asked for it.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
He said he was going to be a president of peace,
and he's done the exact opposite.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
And I've made it clear that we should not vote for.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Any more supplemental funding for this war. So in many ways,
this is somebody who's going to rubber stamp this president's agenda.
He's going to support pushing forward this president's authoritarian agenda.
He supports the j six pardons and so much more.
And what I can say is the people that I'm
talking to have made it very clear that they don't
(11:59):
want you know, the people who support me don't want
any part of what Donald Trump is doing. And I've
always said that if you like what this president is
doing and you don't want somebody to stand up to him,
then maybe my opponent is your guy. But if you
were ready to stand up and fight for the things
that matter, to make life more affordable, to protect our
(12:20):
rights and our democracy, to expand access to the middle class,
then I humbly ask for your support.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I know y'all are enjoying the episode, and if you are,
please leave mear review. But we're about to go into
a break. We back, Okay. I hope you continue to
enjoy the episode and that your break was splendid. We've
heard different answers really from candidates across the country. Man,
whether they're in Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, anywhere. What is the
(12:47):
number one thing that you're hearing out on the road
in Illinois.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Yeah, I mean I talk a little bit about it.
When I talked about giving the people what they want.
I mean, one of the things that I'm hearing is
that people are very frustrated.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
With what's happening in Washington, DC.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
They feel like people get elected to office and then
forget who sent them there and sort of kind of
move into this sort of go along to get along mentality.
And what I think that I've seen and certainly you've
seen this in Illinois, but not just in Illinois, but
across the country, when people take to the streets, when
they are saying no kings in America, when they are
(13:25):
saying hands off my healthcare and hands off my Social Security,
and they are protesting and coming out by the millions
all across this country in so many ways. Noah, I
feel like it's the people telling us, I want you
to pay attention. This is the energy we want to
see from our elected leaders. We don't want you just
(13:46):
standing on the sidelines. We don't want you to take
the safe and easy route. We want you to have bold,
courageous ideas, and we want you to go to the
met fighting for us. And so that's what I'm hearing
from people. They want to know that when you get elected,
that you don't get comfortable but that you stay focused
(14:06):
on the people. And that is how I've always led.
It's how we've made so much progress. Alongside, of course,
our great governor here in Illinois, Governor JB.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Pritzker.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That's how both of us have always taken on this
charge that we are here to make people's lives better
and not just kind of like I said, go along,
to get along and take the safe route. People want
to know that we're going to deliver. We've delivered in Illinois,
and now I'm going to do the same thing when
I get to Washington, d C.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Absolutely, Well, let's talk some real Illinois. This is the
mo when I thought of campaigning for you in Illinois.
That's the first thing that came up. When I was
making calls to people in Chicago. They all wanted me
to ask you, for black voters in the South Side
of Chicago, what will change for them if you get elected?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Well, I mean, look, clearly, as a black woman from
the South Side of Chicago who has lived there my
entire life, the South Side of Chicago is what has
shaped me as a human being, as a mom, as
a leader, and as an elected leader in particular, And
so I'm always thinking about ways that we can improve
(15:19):
all of our communities, but certainly those that have too
often been ignored or left out of the conversation. I
say that knowing that my election to the United States Senate,
you know, getting past November, of course, would mean that
I would be only the sixth black woman in history
to serve in the United States Senate. And that's important
(15:41):
because our voices need to be and deserved to be
in the spaces where these policy decisions are being made.
So when I think about the work that I've done
here in Illinois, I think about, for example, my leadership
of the Restore, reinvest In renew program, which to date
has already invested I'm the chair of the board two
(16:01):
hundred and eighty million dollars to our most disinvested communities,
not just on the South and West sides of Chicago,
but to disinvested communities in every corner of our state
to address violence prevention, economic development, civil legal aid, re
entry services, and youth development and violence prevention. If I
(16:24):
didn't say that, So, those are the kinds of things
that can happen when you have someone who is solely
focused on making sure that communities that have been left
out and left behind get real investment. And we have
another fifty million dollars that we'll be announcing in the
months ahead to add to that two hundred and eighty
million dollar number. I think about the work that we
(16:47):
have done to make sure that we invest in education,
whether it was ending preschool deserts and making sure that
everyone can have access to quality early childhood education, but
making sure that in that conversation we lift up the
voices of childcare workers who are disproportionately black and brown,
or the work that I did on the black women's
(17:08):
maternal mortality crisis, where we know that black women are
three times more likely to die from pregnancy related complications
in the state of Illinois, and that is unacceptable. And
so I called the governor one day and said, Governor,
I'm proud that we've made Illinois an island for reproductive freedom.
But black women are still dying, and we need to
(17:28):
do something different. And this is by the way, regardless
of their economic status. And now in Illinois, because of
my leadership, doulas and midwives and lactation consultants are covered
whether you get have private insurance or you're covered by Medicaid.
So I guess the point that I'm making is those
are the kinds of things that I want to continue
(17:49):
working on when I get to Washington, d C. But
it's also an example that it was my lived experience
as a black woman from the South Side of Chicago
that is really going to shape the way that I say,
hold on, I know we're making policy, but what are
we going to do to address communities that I'm representing
that are at this table.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Oh, they're going to like that. They're going to like
that a lot. They're going to love to hear that. Well,
a lot of people didn't know that, so that I'm
so glad that you that you got to talk about that.
So not a Washington I want to ask you, what
is the first thing that you're going to tackle when
you get to Washington.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Well, look, I mean, healthcare has always been something that's
important to me, and I am going to fight to
pass medicare for all. Too many people right now in
this country don't have access to a doctor when they
need one. And I believe that healthcare is a right
and not a privilege. And I can tell you that
it comes out in lots of different ways. We're seeing
(18:45):
so many people being stripped of Medicaid. We know that
that's going to affect all of us. Whether you're covered
by Medicaid or not. Your wait times are going to
go up. You are not gonna you know, the emergency
room is going to have a longer time to get in.
You're going to have higher copays. All of us are
going to be impacted by that. We're going to have
nine rural hospitals in Illinois potentially on the chopping block
(19:10):
because of these cuts.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
And I even share the story. You know, I'm a mom.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Of four daughters, and a lot of what I talk
about policy wise is because I am seeing it up
close and personal about how this president's failed policies are
affecting my family. I have a daughter who does independent
contracting work. She gets her healthcare under the Affordable Care Act,
(19:34):
and when that those you know, that SUBSIDI, those subsidies
were not extended. She called me at the end of
last year and said, mom, let me tell you how
much higher my health care is going to be this year.
And because it's going to be that much higher, I'm
going to have to get the fewest amount of benefits
under the plan so that it's more affordable, and I
(19:55):
always say I don't want that for not just my child,
I don't want that for anybody to have to think about,
how do I have the fewest amount of benefits. I
want people to have access to the care that they need.
I want people like me who is caring for my mother,
who you know, in the final years of her life.
I want those individuals to have full access to quality
(20:18):
health care because it's a right.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And I want to close these incredibly.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
High gaps in life expectancy where, depending on your zip
code in parts of the city of Chicago, your life
expectancy is twenty years lower than some of somebody who
just lives a couple of miles away. That's unacceptable and
we need to bring real, a real sense of justice
(20:47):
to a system that has not served everyone very well.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
So that's what I'm going to fight for.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
I'm going to fight for access to health care for everyone,
and I believe that's what people deserve.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, do you think medicare for all it's possible right
now under Trump?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I think I'm going to fight for it. I know
that much.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
What I can say is this president certainly doesn't care
about expanding access to health care he wants to take
it away. But one thing we do know is that
one thing I kind of learned on the campaign trail,
there's a lot of people who talk about what we
can't do, what's not possible, what's too hard to get done,
And this is really a question of political will.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
What are we willing to do, what are we willing
to pay for?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
We have a president right now who clearly has made
it clear that what he wants is he wants people
to support a war of choice that no one has
asked for, with a budget, a military budget of like.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
One point five trillion dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
And then he says in the same breath, but by
the way, we can't afford childcare and we can't afford healthcare.
Well that's that's that is an example of what his
priorities are. But what I hear when I'm out in
the streets of Illinois and talking to people is that
their priorities are healthcare, higher wages, making sure they can
(22:12):
put food on the table and take care of their families.
That's what people want, and that's what I'm going to center.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yes, tell the people of Illinois, what are you going
to do about ice? I know a lot of people
are wondering about that.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Well, first of all, let me just say that I
have just recently come from an announcement where we have
announced the findings or the report of our Illinois Accountability Commission.
Because all of us have been living with the real
fear and the trauma of Operation Midway Blitz right here
(22:49):
in Illinois, and the harm, the real lingering harm that
it is done to our communities, and I've seen it
up close and personal, and I've been out in the
streets protesting and standing with our communities, our immigrant communities
in particular. I have been at the broad View Facility
protesting and doing so much more. And I have made
(23:09):
it completely clear that I don't believe that this agency
can be reformed, and I want to abolish ICE. And look,
when we think about what this system should look like
as a whole, I don't see this as being reformed.
What we need to think about as a real path
to legal citizenship for people, and we need to be
(23:30):
very bold and courageous. By the way, there's been opportunities
to get this kind of legislation pass and Republicans have
blocked it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And so when I think.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
About a system, how do we invest in more immigration judges.
How do we make sure that there is more social
services and community based resources to help people navigate these systems.
How do we make sure there's a path to citizenship
for Dreamers and DOCTA recipients. How do we make sure
that this is not about criminalizing our immigrant communities. And
(24:03):
a Supreme Court who has made it okay to racially
profile and strip people off the streets, stuff them into
unmarked vehicles by masked agents with no due process.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
It's not acceptable. People have been killed.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
And I'm proud of the Illinois Accountability Commission that Governor
Pritzker and I launched about six months ago, because we've
made it clear that this president will not always be
the president, and we have collected the evidence. We've collected
photos and videos and testimonies from people who have lived
(24:40):
this up close and personal, because we're going to hold
this president and all of these bad actors to the
best of our ability. We're going to hold them accountable,
and even if it's not right now, we're going to
preserve the evidence so that when that time comes, we
can hold them accountable.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Absolutely. And you sound extremely passionate about this and about
this all and I want to ask you, speaking of
passion in Washington, d C. I have to ask you,
why did you say that you wouldn't support Chuck Schumer
as leader in DC.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Well, as i'm you know, traveling the state of Illinois
and talking to people, what I would say is that
one thing that they are saying more than anything else,
and I said this before, is that they want somebody
who will go to the met.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Fighting for them.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
You know, they're they're sort of fed up with the
status quo and they want to make sure that there's
someone who's going to stand up to Donald Trump and
fight with everything that they have. And that's the fighter
that I will be when I get to Washington, d C.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Well, okay, well, I appreciate you, and you seem very ready.
Is there anything that you want to tell the listener
about your campaign that they might not know already.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I just want to remind everyone that, you know, as
we see the federal government in the United States Supreme
Court that is trying to and not just trying to,
but is literally in front of our faces rolling back
you gutting the Voting Rights Amendment and trying to dilute
political power, specifically for black people and for our Latino
(26:13):
communities that it's important that we all, especially right now
in this election, stand up to vote. And that's going
to be important. So we need everyone to get engaged.
And I'll just say for my race in particular, my
opponent is someone who is self funding, and so this
race isn't over and we have to run it all
(26:33):
the way through the tape. And so go to Julianastratton
dot com and find out how to get involved, follow
us on social media, and let's make sure that Democrats
get involved to elect Democrats up and down the ballot
everywhere we are so that we can make sure that
we can stand up to this president and win in
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Well, I appreciate you. I'll want to go out there
and support you. Can we go to the South Side
and campaign always.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
You're away, He's welcome. I can't wait to see you there.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Absolutely, Thank you so much. Thanks Noah, And now you know,
with no de Braso, we'll be right back. Well, folks,
I think that was great. I've been supporting her since
the very beginning, before she was the Democratic nominee. Now listen,
the reason why you might have noticed in the middle,
(27:23):
so part of the interview, I asked her what she
was going to do to address black voters in the
South Side of Chicago's concerns that Democrats they're feeling disenfranchised
and that Democrats have been getting their vote for a
long long time, but they feel like they haven't been
getting anything in concern. And that's also tied into Kamala
Harris's recent speech telling black voters to be transactional with
(27:47):
their vote. And I think it makes total sense. So
let me be clear why I asked that. I asked
that because if you go to the South Side of Chicago,
you see a lot of problems. You see schools being underfunded,
roads are not paved, officers are not being funded, and
it's causing a lot of trouble in the community. You
see crime statistics like man like that. And that's not
(28:08):
because the people of the South Side of Chicago are
bad people, and it's because their officers and their schools
are not fully funded. Now, the reason why I don't
always love the criticisms from number one politically disengage people
but also conservative bad actors, is because what can a
United States senator do about local funding? That's why every
(28:30):
time I'm asked about that, I encourage black voters to
vote locally, vote down their ballot, vet the candidates, and
go to iowall vote dot com to check they're polling places.
But I'm not done yet. There's not much a United
States senator can really directly do for your neighborhood. Per se.
They do is they can bring federal funding down from
Illinois and bring it to your local counselor your city, etc. Now,
(28:55):
this is a lieutenant governor who served alongside JB. Pritzker,
who is the sitting governor that controls all of the
revenue in the state of Illinois. He runs Illinois, right,
So I would hold the following positions accountable for your
local stuff and your issues that you're not seeing JB. Pritzker.
I'm not saying he's I'm not, no, no, no, no, I
said that wrong. Hold the governor accountable, hold your city
(29:17):
councilors accountable, hold your mayor accountable. And y'all know I
don't do the local stuff. But I'm just telling you
now that these are the people that have direct influence
on your everyday life. And to say that Democrats aren't
addressing your concern and you've been giving Democrats your vote
for decades and all that, well, I say continue, I say,
continue to give Democrats your vote, because what is a
(29:41):
Republican and a red tie gonna do like Don Tracy
her opponent as opposed to someone like her when you
here's what I encourage. Right we got midterms going on
right now, you elect United States House of Representative. And
this is for my less politically engaged people. If you're
politically engaged, I just say get more involved in the primary.
But to black voters in the South side of Chicago,
(30:03):
I asked that you continue to support Democrats. And it's
not so much the Democrats on the November ballot. They
need to hold accountable vote in your primaries because that
chooses the actual Democrat that you're sending to go out
and fight for you. I should say, so, continue to
support Democrats, but continue to vote correctly in the primary.
Then I thank you so much for listening, and to
those that are politically engaged, I want to know comment
(30:26):
anywhere you can. How did you feel watching that primary
when you thought Roger Krishna Morphy was going to win
that primary because he had so much money, institutional backing
and everything like that. Everyone thought he was going to
win the primary, and then you had another person from
actually the Congressional Black Caucus running against them. Vote. It's
kind of played the spoiler role a little bit and
took votes away from from the lieutenant governor. But anyway,
(30:49):
I want the politically engaged volks to tell me how
they felt about that primary. I greatly appreciate everyone that
did tune in. Please leave a review. I would greatly
greatly appreciate. It doesn't have to be throwed a nice
five star for me. I really appreciate that. If you
enjoyed this episode, and if you enjoyed hearing the candidate,
who is a part of our Meet the Candidate's midterm series,
(31:09):
please go to her website if you choose to show
her support. Thank you very much, Now you know with
Noah de Barasso is a production of iHeartMedia and partnership
with Resent Choice Media.
Now you know, and No de Brosso is a production
of iHeartMedia and partnership with Recent Choice Media. What's going on, everybody, Well, look,
this episode today is timely because we had the lieutenant
governor of Illinois who's gotten so many things done. I
(00:21):
must say I don't usually say that about candidates, but
the lieutenant governor of Illinois just won her Democratic primary
for the US Senate on a very blunt message something
I can't even repeat. She had a rather vulgar ad
regarding the president, but a message of fighting for the
people of Illinois, abolishing ice even to my surprise, Medicare
(00:42):
for all, and a message of a very progressive message
as opposed to her establishment opponent, Roger. Christna Morphy had
the institutional back and the funding in this close and folks,
I say this close to almost almost a president of
endorsement because he worked for him a long long time ago.
(01:02):
But we're going to get into that. We're gonna get
into all that. But folks, she was runn against an
establishment candidate and she made it through as the progressive
in the Illinois primary race. Well, now, folks, I introduced
to you the Democratic I can now say the Democratic
nominee someone I've known since before all of this, the
Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Illinois, Julianna Stratton,
(01:25):
and I hope you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Good to see you again.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
It's good. Congratulations on your on your victory.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Thank you. I was excited about this conversation. Absolutely, I
was like, when are we going to talk about my race?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Absolutely, it's about time.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You're one of the greatest influencers that I know.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I really appreciate that. Seriously, I thank you, and congratulations
on the big win. We worked so hard on that.
I made so many phone calls and it's I was
just it was wonderful. So I appreciate you. Congratulations, Thank you, absolutely.
Well you I have my first question for you. You
started catching up in the race in like the middle
(02:06):
sort of the ending part. We were so scared and
all that we were like, we have to get across
the finish line. Well, were you worried when you saw
poles in the middle in the beginning of the primary?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, I mean, look, I'm first of all, very excited
and proud of the outcome of this primary. I know
that Illinoians across the state talked about how they wanted to.
They wanted a fighter in Washington, d C. They wanted
someone who was going to remember what mattered to them
and who was going to always center their voices. And
(02:41):
I knew all along that I had the message that
people that really resonated with Illinoians and talked about how
I wanted to give the people what they want. And so, yes,
I mean, you look at poles, you look at a
lot of different things. But what was important to me
was to stay focused on my why, why I was
doing this, And in so many ways, my why was
(03:02):
centered in how I ran for office in the first place.
Ten years ago. Ten years ago, I was the caregiver
for my mother. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I
was a mom, I was a career woman, but I
was also spending so much time trying to make sure
that my mother had access to the care she needed.
And it was at a time when my state representative
(03:24):
and our previous governor here in Illinois.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Were working to strip away healthcare.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
From seniors like my mother, and I got angry and
I ran against that state representative because I knew that
government should not be a roadblock to the people.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
It should be a partner.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
And so I ran and I won because I saw
a need and I stepped up to meet that need,
and that was why I ran for Senate. And so
I think we always as a candidate have to start
with why are you doing this? And for me, it
was because I saw a real need with all the
chaos we see coming out of Washington, d C. For steady, stable,
courageous leadership. And I just stayed focused on that, and
(04:02):
every single day I got out of and talked to people,
and you know, chrisscrossed the state and made sure that
the people were at the center and that's ultimately what
resonated and got us over the finish line.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Absolutely. And I've been following you since before you launched
any Senate campaign or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Don't want to have.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yes, ma'am. I want to know what made you not
want to run for another term as lieutenant governor and
why the Senate.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, like I said, I mean, once again, I saw
a real need and stepped up to meet that need.
And I can say that when we look at what's
happening in Washington, I always say that Donald Trump has
ignited a five alarm fire, and every day we are
waking up to a new news story, a new headline
about something that this president and his administration is doing
(04:48):
to take us backwards. We've seen attacks on the rule
of law. We've seen attacks on our constitution. We've seen
attacks on our rights and our democracy. Right here in Illinois,
we have seen attacks our neighbors. And if there's anything
that people are looking for right now is they're looking
for real fighters in Washington. They're looking for someone who's
going to stand up to Donald Trump and stand up
(05:11):
for working families. That is the record that I've had
here in Illinois, and I think it's important to now
take that same fight to Washington, d C. And make
sure we stand up to somebody who wants to be
a dictator. I'm not going to let that happen.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Absolutely Well, before we start talking about DC in the
Senate and all that November and January inauguration stuff, I
want to ask you, even back to a few weeks ago.
Your opponent had a lot of money. How did you
beat that sort of money? Was it your message or
anything like that? You beat him with a fraction I
think of what he had.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yes, we did, and when we did so by speaking
about the issues that really matter to people. You know,
I talked about my sort of campaign tagline was to
give the people what they want.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It wasn't just a tagline.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It was literally about talking about the issues that really
matter to people. Affordability is a big issue, of course,
and everything is just so expensive right now, whether it's
gas or utilities, or housing, and certainly healthcare, which as
you know, has motivated me to run for office in
the first place. And so when I'm listening to people
(06:21):
across our state and they're saying it is harder to
make ends meet.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I talked about that issue.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I talked about how we need to not just address
the affordability crisis as a whole, but very specifically giving
the people what they want, look like raising the minimum wage.
And I'm going to fight to raise the minimum wage
at the federal level to twenty five dollars an hour
because right now it's seven dollars and twenty five cents.
(06:50):
That's not enough for anyone to take care of their family.
I'm going to fight for medicare for all. That was
a message that resonated because so many people, when they're sick,
they just don't have access to a doctor. And healthcare
is becoming more and more expensive every single day. Yeah,
and I want to make sure that we get corporate
pack money out of politics, because we should be focused
(07:13):
on the people that we represent and not corporate special interest.
So that was a message of giving the people what
they want. And that message didn't come because I sat
with somebody and said, Okay, well, what should we call
this or what should we do. It came from listening
to the people of Illinois. And I think that's what
we all should be doing right now, listening to the
people and making sure their voices are centered.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yes, I heard you talk about a twenty five dollars
an hour minimum wage. Minimum wage is one of those
things that we discussed on literally almost every episode here.
I've never heard the twenty five dollars figure, though, because
most of the candidates are not from progressive states like Illinois.
Why twenty five.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Because we shouldn't just be talking about what's the bare
minimum that we can give people.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
We should be talking about a livable wage.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Right now, we have too many Americans that are living
below what would be considered a livable wage. And I
can tell you that seven you know, even here in Illinois,
we raised the minimum wage. It was the first big
bill that Governor Pritzkerna got signed into law.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We raised it to fifteen.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Dollars an hour when we first took office over seven
years ago. Even a fifteen dollars an hour minimum wage
has an annual that's an annual salary of about thirty
one thousand, two hundred dollars a year. Now, split that
in half and you'll get what the federal minimum wage is.
(08:41):
So literally, you're talking about, you know, fifteen, sixteen thousand
dollars a year. That is not enough for anyone to
take care of their family, let alone themselves. And the
federal minimum wage has not been raised since two thousand
and nine. And here we are with everything being so expensive,
And what I always say is, why do we keep
(09:03):
talking about the bare minimum for people. Let's give people
enough money in their pockets to take care of themselves,
to put food on the table for their families, to
save a little for the future, and to spend in
our small businesses.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
So I know that here in Illinois we're going to
We've looked at and figured out a way to raise
it to a certain extent, but this needs to be
federal policy, so that states that don't have leaders who
want to raise the minimum wage, who are willing to
let their residents struggle at seven dollars and twenty five cents.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's unacceptable.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And I'm going to fight to raise the minimum wage
at the federal level.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Absolutely, And I'm so excited to talk about the general
election and Washington. All that last question about the primary,
I was following every little thing. I was sweating on
that couch, like, oh my god, she's almost there. Did
you think that the congresswoman was a spoiler in the race?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Look, I ran this race, I think everybody.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I've always entered a race knowing that I wanted to
get my message out and try to earn the support
of voters, and that's what I did. And I think
the outcome demonstrates that my message resonated with voters and
that they were really looking for someone to bring new energy,
new perspective, and new ideas to Washington, d C. So
(10:22):
I'm proud of what happened, and I'll keep moving forward
focused on the people of Illinois.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yes, so we're ready to talk about Washington, right to
talk about the general election. Tell the people listening, because
this is a we talk a lot about misinformation all
that stuff, and I'm sure your Republican opponent has lots
of that. Tell us about the person that you're running
against right now and the campaign you're running against them.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, well, I mean, I first of all, I'm taking
my general campaign very seriously, and I'm already out there
working with people. We've had an official kickoff, and I'm
going to be listening to voters just like I did
in the primary.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Camp Pain. I'm running against Don.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Tracy, who in so many ways is just too extreme
for Illinois. He's anti choice, and you know, Illinois, we
have worked hard to protect reproductive freedom. Don Tracy, my opponent,
is somebody who is a proponent of the war in Iran.
And you know, I've made it very clear that this
(11:25):
is a war that Donald Trump has dragged us all into.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Nobody asked for it.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
He said he was going to be a president of peace,
and he's done the exact opposite.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
And I've made it clear that we should not vote for.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Any more supplemental funding for this war. So in many ways,
this is somebody who's going to rubber stamp this president's agenda.
He's going to support pushing forward this president's authoritarian agenda.
He supports the j six pardons and so much more.
And what I can say is the people that I'm
talking to have made it very clear that they don't
(11:59):
want you know, the people who support me don't want
any part of what Donald Trump is doing. And I've
always said that if you like what this president is
doing and you don't want somebody to stand up to him,
then maybe my opponent is your guy. But if you
were ready to stand up and fight for the things
that matter, to make life more affordable, to protect our
(12:20):
rights and our democracy, to expand access to the middle class,
then I humbly ask for your support.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I know y'all are enjoying the episode, and if you are,
please leave mear review. But we're about to go into
a break. We back, Okay. I hope you continue to
enjoy the episode and that your break was splendid. We've
heard different answers really from candidates across the country. Man,
whether they're in Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, anywhere. What is the
(12:47):
number one thing that you're hearing out on the road
in Illinois.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Yeah, I mean I talk a little bit about it.
When I talked about giving the people what they want.
I mean, one of the things that I'm hearing is
that people are very frustrated.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
With what's happening in Washington, DC.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
They feel like people get elected to office and then
forget who sent them there and sort of kind of
move into this sort of go along to get along mentality.
And what I think that I've seen and certainly you've
seen this in Illinois, but not just in Illinois, but
across the country, when people take to the streets, when
they are saying no kings in America, when they are
(13:25):
saying hands off my healthcare and hands off my Social Security,
and they are protesting and coming out by the millions
all across this country in so many ways. Noah, I
feel like it's the people telling us, I want you
to pay attention. This is the energy we want to
see from our elected leaders. We don't want you just
(13:46):
standing on the sidelines. We don't want you to take
the safe and easy route. We want you to have bold,
courageous ideas, and we want you to go to the
met fighting for us. And so that's what I'm hearing
from people. They want to know that when you get elected,
that you don't get comfortable but that you stay focused
(14:06):
on the people. And that is how I've always led.
It's how we've made so much progress. Alongside, of course,
our great governor here in Illinois, Governor JB.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Pritzker.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That's how both of us have always taken on this
charge that we are here to make people's lives better
and not just kind of like I said, go along,
to get along and take the safe route. People want
to know that we're going to deliver. We've delivered in Illinois,
and now I'm going to do the same thing when
I get to Washington, d C.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Absolutely, Well, let's talk some real Illinois. This is the
mo when I thought of campaigning for you in Illinois.
That's the first thing that came up. When I was
making calls to people in Chicago. They all wanted me
to ask you, for black voters in the South Side
of Chicago, what will change for them if you get elected?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Well, I mean, look, clearly, as a black woman from
the South Side of Chicago who has lived there my
entire life, the South Side of Chicago is what has
shaped me as a human being, as a mom, as
a leader, and as an elected leader in particular, And
so I'm always thinking about ways that we can improve
(15:19):
all of our communities, but certainly those that have too
often been ignored or left out of the conversation. I
say that knowing that my election to the United States Senate,
you know, getting past November, of course, would mean that
I would be only the sixth black woman in history
to serve in the United States Senate. And that's important
(15:41):
because our voices need to be and deserved to be
in the spaces where these policy decisions are being made.
So when I think about the work that I've done
here in Illinois, I think about, for example, my leadership
of the Restore, reinvest In renew program, which to date
has already invested I'm the chair of the board two
(16:01):
hundred and eighty million dollars to our most disinvested communities,
not just on the South and West sides of Chicago,
but to disinvested communities in every corner of our state
to address violence prevention, economic development, civil legal aid, re
entry services, and youth development and violence prevention. If I
(16:24):
didn't say that, So, those are the kinds of things
that can happen when you have someone who is solely
focused on making sure that communities that have been left
out and left behind get real investment. And we have
another fifty million dollars that we'll be announcing in the
months ahead to add to that two hundred and eighty
million dollar number. I think about the work that we
(16:47):
have done to make sure that we invest in education,
whether it was ending preschool deserts and making sure that
everyone can have access to quality early childhood education, but
making sure that in that conversation we lift up the
voices of childcare workers who are disproportionately black and brown,
or the work that I did on the black women's
(17:08):
maternal mortality crisis, where we know that black women are
three times more likely to die from pregnancy related complications
in the state of Illinois, and that is unacceptable. And
so I called the governor one day and said, Governor,
I'm proud that we've made Illinois an island for reproductive freedom.
But black women are still dying, and we need to
(17:28):
do something different. And this is by the way, regardless
of their economic status. And now in Illinois, because of
my leadership, doulas and midwives and lactation consultants are covered
whether you get have private insurance or you're covered by Medicaid.
So I guess the point that I'm making is those
are the kinds of things that I want to continue
(17:49):
working on when I get to Washington, d C. But
it's also an example that it was my lived experience
as a black woman from the South Side of Chicago
that is really going to shape the way that I say,
hold on, I know we're making policy, but what are
we going to do to address communities that I'm representing
that are at this table.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Oh, they're going to like that. They're going to like
that a lot. They're going to love to hear that. Well,
a lot of people didn't know that, so that I'm
so glad that you that you got to talk about that.
So not a Washington I want to ask you, what
is the first thing that you're going to tackle when
you get to Washington.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Well, look, I mean, healthcare has always been something that's
important to me, and I am going to fight to
pass medicare for all. Too many people right now in
this country don't have access to a doctor when they
need one. And I believe that healthcare is a right
and not a privilege. And I can tell you that
it comes out in lots of different ways. We're seeing
(18:45):
so many people being stripped of Medicaid. We know that
that's going to affect all of us. Whether you're covered
by Medicaid or not. Your wait times are going to
go up. You are not gonna you know, the emergency
room is going to have a longer time to get in.
You're going to have higher copays. All of us are
going to be impacted by that. We're going to have
nine rural hospitals in Illinois potentially on the chopping block
(19:10):
because of these cuts.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
And I even share the story. You know, I'm a mom.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Of four daughters, and a lot of what I talk
about policy wise is because I am seeing it up
close and personal about how this president's failed policies are
affecting my family. I have a daughter who does independent
contracting work. She gets her healthcare under the Affordable Care Act,
(19:34):
and when that those you know, that SUBSIDI, those subsidies
were not extended. She called me at the end of
last year and said, mom, let me tell you how
much higher my health care is going to be this year.
And because it's going to be that much higher, I'm
going to have to get the fewest amount of benefits
under the plan so that it's more affordable, and I
(19:55):
always say I don't want that for not just my child,
I don't want that for anybody to have to think about,
how do I have the fewest amount of benefits. I
want people to have access to the care that they need.
I want people like me who is caring for my mother,
who you know, in the final years of her life.
I want those individuals to have full access to quality
(20:18):
health care because it's a right.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And I want to close these incredibly.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
High gaps in life expectancy where, depending on your zip
code in parts of the city of Chicago, your life
expectancy is twenty years lower than some of somebody who
just lives a couple of miles away. That's unacceptable and
we need to bring real, a real sense of justice
(20:47):
to a system that has not served everyone very well.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
So that's what I'm going to fight for.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
I'm going to fight for access to health care for everyone,
and I believe that's what people deserve.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, do you think medicare for all it's possible right
now under Trump?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I think I'm going to fight for it. I know
that much.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
What I can say is this president certainly doesn't care
about expanding access to health care he wants to take
it away. But one thing we do know is that
one thing I kind of learned on the campaign trail,
there's a lot of people who talk about what we
can't do, what's not possible, what's too hard to get done,
And this is really a question of political will.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
What are we willing to do, what are we willing
to pay for?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
We have a president right now who clearly has made
it clear that what he wants is he wants people
to support a war of choice that no one has
asked for, with a budget, a military budget of like.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
One point five trillion dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
And then he says in the same breath, but by
the way, we can't afford childcare and we can't afford healthcare.
Well that's that's that is an example of what his
priorities are. But what I hear when I'm out in
the streets of Illinois and talking to people is that
their priorities are healthcare, higher wages, making sure they can
(22:12):
put food on the table and take care of their families.
That's what people want, and that's what I'm going to center.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yes, tell the people of Illinois, what are you going
to do about ice? I know a lot of people
are wondering about that.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Well, first of all, let me just say that I
have just recently come from an announcement where we have
announced the findings or the report of our Illinois Accountability Commission.
Because all of us have been living with the real
fear and the trauma of Operation Midway Blitz right here
(22:49):
in Illinois, and the harm, the real lingering harm that
it is done to our communities, and I've seen it
up close and personal, and I've been out in the
streets protesting and standing with our communities, our immigrant communities
in particular. I have been at the broad View Facility
protesting and doing so much more. And I have made
(23:09):
it completely clear that I don't believe that this agency
can be reformed, and I want to abolish ICE. And look,
when we think about what this system should look like
as a whole, I don't see this as being reformed.
What we need to think about as a real path
to legal citizenship for people, and we need to be
(23:30):
very bold and courageous. By the way, there's been opportunities
to get this kind of legislation pass and Republicans have
blocked it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
And so when I think.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
About a system, how do we invest in more immigration judges.
How do we make sure that there is more social
services and community based resources to help people navigate these systems.
How do we make sure there's a path to citizenship
for Dreamers and DOCTA recipients. How do we make sure
that this is not about criminalizing our immigrant communities. And
(24:03):
a Supreme Court who has made it okay to racially
profile and strip people off the streets, stuff them into
unmarked vehicles by masked agents with no due process.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
It's not acceptable. People have been killed.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
And I'm proud of the Illinois Accountability Commission that Governor
Pritzker and I launched about six months ago, because we've
made it clear that this president will not always be
the president, and we have collected the evidence. We've collected
photos and videos and testimonies from people who have lived
(24:40):
this up close and personal, because we're going to hold
this president and all of these bad actors to the
best of our ability. We're going to hold them accountable,
and even if it's not right now, we're going to
preserve the evidence so that when that time comes, we
can hold them accountable.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Absolutely. And you sound extremely passionate about this and about
this all and I want to ask you, speaking of
passion in Washington, d C. I have to ask you,
why did you say that you wouldn't support Chuck Schumer
as leader in DC.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Well, as i'm you know, traveling the state of Illinois
and talking to people, what I would say is that
one thing that they are saying more than anything else,
and I said this before, is that they want somebody
who will go to the met.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Fighting for them.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
You know, they're they're sort of fed up with the
status quo and they want to make sure that there's
someone who's going to stand up to Donald Trump and
fight with everything that they have. And that's the fighter
that I will be when I get to Washington, d C.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Well, okay, well, I appreciate you, and you seem very ready.
Is there anything that you want to tell the listener
about your campaign that they might not know already.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I just want to remind everyone that, you know, as
we see the federal government in the United States Supreme
Court that is trying to and not just trying to,
but is literally in front of our faces rolling back
you gutting the Voting Rights Amendment and trying to dilute
political power, specifically for black people and for our Latino
(26:13):
communities that it's important that we all, especially right now
in this election, stand up to vote. And that's going
to be important. So we need everyone to get engaged.
And I'll just say for my race in particular, my
opponent is someone who is self funding, and so this
race isn't over and we have to run it all
(26:33):
the way through the tape. And so go to Julianastratton
dot com and find out how to get involved, follow
us on social media, and let's make sure that Democrats
get involved to elect Democrats up and down the ballot
everywhere we are so that we can make sure that
we can stand up to this president and win in
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Well, I appreciate you. I'll want to go out there
and support you. Can we go to the South Side
and campaign always.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
You're away, He's welcome. I can't wait to see you there.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Absolutely, Thank you so much. Thanks Noah, And now you know,
with no de Braso, we'll be right back. Well, folks,
I think that was great. I've been supporting her since
the very beginning, before she was the Democratic nominee. Now listen,
the reason why you might have noticed in the middle,
(27:23):
so part of the interview, I asked her what she
was going to do to address black voters in the
South Side of Chicago's concerns that Democrats they're feeling disenfranchised
and that Democrats have been getting their vote for a
long long time, but they feel like they haven't been
getting anything in concern. And that's also tied into Kamala
Harris's recent speech telling black voters to be transactional with
(27:47):
their vote. And I think it makes total sense. So
let me be clear why I asked that. I asked
that because if you go to the South Side of Chicago,
you see a lot of problems. You see schools being underfunded,
roads are not paved, officers are not being funded, and
it's causing a lot of trouble in the community. You
see crime statistics like man like that. And that's not
(28:08):
because the people of the South Side of Chicago are
bad people, and it's because their officers and their schools
are not fully funded. Now, the reason why I don't
always love the criticisms from number one politically disengage people
but also conservative bad actors, is because what can a
United States senator do about local funding? That's why every
(28:30):
time I'm asked about that, I encourage black voters to
vote locally, vote down their ballot, vet the candidates, and
go to iowall vote dot com to check they're polling places.
But I'm not done yet. There's not much a United
States senator can really directly do for your neighborhood. Per se.
They do is they can bring federal funding down from
Illinois and bring it to your local counselor your city, etc. Now,
(28:55):
this is a lieutenant governor who served alongside JB. Pritzker,
who is the sitting governor that controls all of the
revenue in the state of Illinois. He runs Illinois, right,
So I would hold the following positions accountable for your
local stuff and your issues that you're not seeing JB. Pritzker.
I'm not saying he's I'm not, no, no, no, no, I
said that wrong. Hold the governor accountable, hold your city
(29:17):
councilors accountable, hold your mayor accountable. And y'all know I
don't do the local stuff. But I'm just telling you
now that these are the people that have direct influence
on your everyday life. And to say that Democrats aren't
addressing your concern and you've been giving Democrats your vote
for decades and all that, well, I say continue, I say,
continue to give Democrats your vote, because what is a
(29:41):
Republican and a red tie gonna do like Don Tracy
her opponent as opposed to someone like her when you
here's what I encourage. Right we got midterms going on
right now, you elect United States House of Representative. And
this is for my less politically engaged people. If you're
politically engaged, I just say get more involved in the primary.
But to black voters in the South side of Chicago,
(30:03):
I asked that you continue to support Democrats. And it's
not so much the Democrats on the November ballot. They
need to hold accountable vote in your primaries because that
chooses the actual Democrat that you're sending to go out
and fight for you. I should say, so, continue to
support Democrats, but continue to vote correctly in the primary.
Then I thank you so much for listening, and to
those that are politically engaged, I want to know comment
(30:26):
anywhere you can. How did you feel watching that primary
when you thought Roger Krishna Morphy was going to win
that primary because he had so much money, institutional backing
and everything like that. Everyone thought he was going to
win the primary, and then you had another person from
actually the Congressional Black Caucus running against them. Vote. It's
kind of played the spoiler role a little bit and
took votes away from from the lieutenant governor. But anyway,
(30:49):
I want the politically engaged volks to tell me how
they felt about that primary. I greatly appreciate everyone that
did tune in. Please leave a review. I would greatly
greatly appreciate. It doesn't have to be throwed a nice
five star for me. I really appreciate that. If you
enjoyed this episode, and if you enjoyed hearing the candidate,
who is a part of our Meet the Candidate's midterm series,
(31:09):
please go to her website if you choose to show
her support. Thank you very much, Now you know with
Noah de Barasso is a production of iHeartMedia and partnership
with Resent Choice Media.
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