Juliana Stratton turns focus to Don Tracy in Senate election

The battle for Durbin’s seat: Juliana Stratton to face Don Tracy in November

Following Tuesday's primary, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Don Tracy are officially facing off for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin.

ILLINOIS - Fresh off a commanding and somewhat surprising primary election victory, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton is turning her attention toward GOP candidate Don Tracy.

What we know:

Tracy is the former leader of the Illinois Republican Party. At a unity breakfast Wednesday, Tracy sought to define his opponent as someone who was in favor of creating more people dependent on government services.

"Juliana Stratton and others seem to be in favor of a culture of welfare dependency," Tracy said. "They seem to advocate for more welfare. And they complain when we have a tax bill that passed a year ago that contains some pretty modest work requirements. They whine and call it cuts in Medicaid, but it's just work requirements. We want to get people off the couches and into the workforce."

Stratton responded Thursday, saying she doesn't believe voters will respond favorably to Tracy's message.

"He's someone who's not going to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the people of Illinois, and I think voters will see that contrast clearly," Stratton said. "What are we talking about here, people trying to make a livable wage, having access to healthcare. If you're not for that, I don't know what you're for. I'm not sure how someone plans to inspire voters telling them, 'I'm going to take away your healthcare. I don't want you to be able to care for your family, I don't want you to put food on the table for your children.' That's not an inspiring message for me or any voter."