Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, appearing at the Obama Legacy Dinner on Friday at Illinois State University, urged local Democrats to continue the work already underway to connect the community to the party's candidates, and ensure that Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president.
The annual banquet and scholarship program, held in the Brown Ballroom at Bone Student Center, is designed by McLean County Democrats to honor former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Stratton came to ISU at the end of a three-day tour of southern and Central Illinois, previously visiting other college campuses, as well as visiting Bloomington, Murphysboro, Vienna and Carbondale.
Stratton’s message to McLean County Democrats was one being spread by Democrats across the nation, not just in Illinois.
“We are about 24 days away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime,” she said.
“What they have done always is get out the vote, knock on doors, make phone calls and we need to make sure they do that and get us over the finish line,” Stratton said. “We need to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as our next president and vice president, and the McLean County Democrats are going to help make that happen.”
The lieutenant governor was in attendance alongside many local Democrats running in the general election, including state Rep. Sharon Chung of Bloomington and state Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria.
As for the express purpose of the dinner, Stratton reflected on the legacy of the Obamas. What she recognizes as their legacy is something personal to her and what got her involved in politics to begin with.
“I think about, specifically tonight and I’ll talk about, their work around access to health care and of course the Affordable Care Act,” she said. “My getting into politics was really because of a health issue my mom was dealing with and seeing cuts being made at the state level to access to health care. I believe health care is a right, not a privilege. President Obama believed that, Michelle Obama, first lady, believed that.”
Stratton described health care as an issue that affects both statewide and national politics.
“And I still think we see health care being challenged today, whether that’s reproductive rights, which is access to health care, or lots of other type of health care, we need to protect access to affordable, accessible health care and we need to do so for every Illinoisan across our state and of course Americans across the country,” she said.
Not only was former president Obama important to Stratton’s causes for health care, she called it an honor to be endorsed by him in 2016 when she ran for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. However, her success in the election was not absent of personal hard work.
“I think there were lots of pieces, certainly his endorsement was incredibly important and influential,” she said. “I also knocked on doors about 10 hours every day, I also know that there were people all across my district who were getting out the vote, the men and women of organized labor, there were people who donated to my campaign. So, I think all of it matters, but certainly it was important and I’m very grateful that he did that.”
Another key purpose of Friday's dinner is to build excitement for Harris. The event was not short of cardboard cutouts, signage and even a letterman's jacket of the vice president.
There have been reports that should Harris rise to the highest office in the nation, Gov. JB Pritzker may have a cabinet position in his future. Stratton said that scenario is not being actively planned for in the governor’s administration.
“No one is thinking about what else is possible unless we win this election and that’s what’s most important,” she said.
Stratton reaffirmed her commitment to the current administration, with her sights focused on the outcome of the election.
“The governor and I are focused on that; I love serving alongside of Gov. Pritzker and we’re going to keep doing everything we can to get vice president Harris and governor Tim Walz [elected] on Nov. 5 and no conversations are happening until then.”
Stratton’s trip around the southern and central regions of Illinois also fills her role as the chair of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.
One of the most significant changes to Central Illinois this election season was the governor’s decision to move the Logan Correctional Center closer to Chicagoland. One of the reasons cited for the still-in-the-works move is the convenience of families in the area no longer having to drive south to Lincoln.
Area residents have said they felt abandoned by the administration, as the closing of the facility, along with the closing of two colleges, threatens to leave the Lincoln area void of jobs and revenue. Stratton said that she and Pritzker want to hear the concerns of all residents.
“The governor and I have always focused on making sure that we lift up every corner of our state,” she said. “We want to listen to the concerns of residents in every corner of our state, we want to make sure we’re hearing them and working together on solutions.”
Stratton said she thinks that communication with residents of Illinois is the best way to move forward.
“I think that’s the way the best policy is made, not just deciding from our office in Springfield or in Chicago, but by getting into communities and listening to people directly. We’ll keep listening to communities to make sure that we know that we are addressing their concerns,” she said.
