CIVPAC has endorsed Juliana Stratton in Illinois’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.
The decision follows our review of Stratton, Republican Don Tracy, and American Center Party candidate Whitfield Harrington Jr. The race presents a difficult tradeoff between foreign policy, democratic institutions and the appropriate role of government in the economy.
Stratton is substantially closer to CIVPAC on several issues that have become increasingly important in our 2026 evaluations. She supports continued assistance to Ukraine, a strong NATO alliance, congressional checks on presidential war-making and greater restraint in the use of tariffs. She would also provide an independent partisan check on the Trump administration.
Our reservations about Stratton are substantial. Her domestic agenda includes Medicare for All, a $25 federal minimum wage and abolition of ICE. Those proposals would significantly expand the federal role in the economy and, in the case of Medicare for All, create major unanswered questions about financing.
Don Tracy is considerably closer to CIVPAC on conventional economic policy, health-care markets, regulation and the scale of government. He also supports NATO and Ukraine’s right to defend itself. But his greater willingness to defer to President Trump on war powers and tariffs, along with his support for pardons of January 6 defendants, raises questions about the degree of institutional independence he would bring to the Senate.
We also reviewed Whitfield Harrington Jr., who presents himself as a pragmatic centrist. His platform contains some interesting ideas, but his public record remains too limited on foreign policy, presidential power, immigration, fiscal policy and major social issues to evaluate him alongside the major-party candidates with confidence.
With Illinois voting beginning September 24, we concluded that the choice could no longer be deferred. Given the available record—and CIVPAC’s preference for divided government as a check on executive overreach—we endorsed Juliana Stratton.
Readers interested in the details can read our full Illinois U.S. Senate evaluation and endorsement.
Our other 2026 endorsements and evaluations are collected on our 2026 endorsements page.