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Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is on a glide path to the U.S. Senate.
But Stratton, who captured the Democratic Senate nomination in blue-leaning Illinois by winning Tuesday's primary, has made it clear that if she makes it to Capitol Hill, she won't be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' longtime leader in the chamber.
"My position hasn't changed," Stratton told reporters on Wednesday, the morning after her primary victory.
And Stratton - who if victorious in November would become only the fifth Black woman in the nation's history to win election to the Senate - is part of a sizable list of Democratic Senate candidates who are highlighting their opposition to Schumer continuing as the leader of their party in the chamber.
PRITZKER SCORES BIG: STRATTON VICTORY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY TEST OF GOVERNOR'S CLOUT
Stratton topped Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, her two leading rivals among a crowded field of contenders, in a contentious and extremely expensive Democratic Senate primary. Stratton was boosted by the support and deep pockets of her boss, billionaire Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who was unopposed as he landed re-nomination for a third term as governor.
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Schumer, along with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, congratulated Stratton immediately after her victory was called.
"Juliana's commitment to standing up for working families runs deep - and now, she's taking that fight to the U.S. Senate. We are proud to congratulate Juliana on her history-making campaign, and we are excited to welcome her as the next U.S. Senator from Illinois in November," Schumer and Gillibrand wrote in a statement.
But Stratton, during her primary campaign, made her stance on Schumer crystal clear.
"I'm the only person on this stage that has said so," Stratton said during a recent debate, as she highlighted that she would not back Schumer as Democratic leader.
"I'm the only candidate in this race that has made it clear I'm not going to support Chuck Schumer to lead the Democratic caucus, Senate caucus, because that's not what people are looking for right now," Stratton said in a recent NBC News interview. "They want someone who's going to fight, and we need fighters and not folders."
And further explaining why she wouldn't back Schumer, Stratton told progressive Gen Z political commentator Jack Cocchiarella, "What I'm hearing from voters all across the state of Illinois is that they're fed up. They're fed up with what's happening in Washington. They''re fed up with business as usual and the status quo."
Stratton is far from the only Democratic Senate candidate to argue that the party needs younger and more aggressive leadership in the chamber to fight back against President Donald Trump's unprecedented second-term agenda.
Among them are Graham Platner, the U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer from Maine who has the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont as he battles for the Democratic Senate nomination against two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who has Schumer's tacit support.
Also on the list is Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, one of three frontrunners battling for their party's U.S. Senate nomination in the Great Lakes battleground.
