Pritzker chooses Rep. Juliana Stratton as 2018 running mate
CHICAGO (AP) - Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker has selected state Rep. Juliana Stratton of Chicago to be his running mate in the 2018 election.
The billionaire businessman from Chicago said Thursday that Stratton has "taken on" Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and will fight for working and middle-class families statewide as his lieutenant governor.
Stratton won her first term in office last year with the help of an endorsement from President Barack Obama. She defeated Rep. Ken Dunkin in a Democratic primary that was seen as a proxy war between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Pritzker is among several Democrats looking to unseat Rauner. Others seeking the Democratic nomination are businessman Chris Kennedy and state Sen. Daniel Biss.
Stratton is African-American and the first woman on any Democratic ticket.