Former Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) on Thursday released a new campaign ad featuring several Prairie State residents, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), all saying, “F— Trump.”
“They said it, not me,” Stratton says in the video posted on her social media.
She added that she’s “not scared of a wannabe dictator. I’m running for Senate to stand up to Donald Trump.” Stratton said she will abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and “hold Trump accountable for the crimes he’s committed.”
After another batch of “F— Trump” messages, including from Duckworth, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) appears next to Stratton to say “Vote Juliana.”
Stratton is seeking retiring Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) seat, with the state’s primary taking place on March 7. Polling averages from Decision Desk HQ show Stratton trailing behind Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) with 18.5 percent compared to Krishnamoorthi’s 30.5 percent as of Feb. 3.
The two candidates, along with Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), went toe-to-toe during an hour-long debate last month. Trump and ICE were among the biggest topics to loom over the course of the debate, with Kelly saying she filed letter of impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Stratton attacked Krishnamoorthi for backing a resolution thanking “law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.” But Krishnamoorthi pushed back, saying the resolution was focused condemning an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colo.
She also accused Krishnamoorthi of being ineffective in Congress when answering a question about term limits. Stratton said the four bills Krishnamoorthi passed were about naming postal offices.
