Last week, WCPT’s Richard Chew was joined by Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D), who touted recent municipal election wins for Illinois Democrats, the elimination of the state’s grocery tax and the creation of thousands of jobs.
But looking back on the first quarter of 2025, Stratton said she “can’t sugarcoat” the political challenges the state and the nation are facing.
“It has not been the easiest start to the year,” Stratton told WCPT. “In so many ways, we’ve seen Donald Trump really dragging the American people through what I’ve been calling a five-alarm fire, looking at, how his attacks have been putting a stress test on almost every aspect of our lives. We look at the attacks on our school systems and education, the attacks on our courts, the attacks, certainly, that every American is feeling on our economy, and attacks on our government.”
Stratton said she is encouraged by people taking to the streets in protests across the country and urged Illinois residents who oppose the Trump administration’s actions to stay active and engaged.
“Just like when I woke up on Nov. 6, after Election Day, everybody has to ask themselves the question, ‘Am I going to just sit back and just kind of check out, or am I going to lean in and get to work?’ I decided to lean in and get to work, and I’m hearing people all over our state say we’re going to do that too,” Stratton said.
As lawmakers prepare to vote on the fiscal year 2026 budget before the legislative session ends May 31, the lieutenant governor emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility for the state of Illinois, pointing to the six consecutive balanced budgets Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed into law.
“It becomes more challenging as we’re seeing chaos coming out of Washington,” Stratton said. “So our goal is to provide that steady leadership to make sure that we can keep taking care of the work of the state of Illinois, and keep caring for the people of our state who need it, and I think that’s my top priority right now.”
Below is the full transcript of the interview. (Please note: The transcript has been edited for clarity.)
Richard Chew: We’re so glad to have our own lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, with us this morning.
And I’m so excited to have you with us, Madame Lieutenant Governor.
I wanted to ask you, right out of the gate, a big question that everyone is curious about, and that is: This first quarter that we just came through, what are the accomplishments and things that you have succeeded at, and things that you feel that your administration [sees] areas [for] improvement?
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: Well, first of all, Richard, always glad to join you. Thanks for having me.
When I think of a question like that and I look back over what this first quarter of the year has been for all of us, I can’t sugarcoat it. It has not been the easiest start to the year. In so many ways, we’ve seen Donald Trump really dragging the American people through what I’ve been calling a five-alarm fire, looking at how his attacks have been putting a stress test on almost every aspect of our lives. We look at the attacks on our school systems and education, the attacks on our courts, the attacks, certainly, that every American is feeling on our economy, and attacks on our government.
I just have to start, in answering your question, by saying and acknowledging that real people are suffering. And I think it’s important to recognize how our families are really feeling the weight of the chaos that is coming out of Washington, D.C. But at the same time, there have been some really good moments that we’ve seen in this first quarter of the year, and some moments that, quite frankly, have really been signs of hope and have reenergized me. We’ve seen wins across Illinois.
I mean, look at this month’s elections. We saw some big wins in municipal races all across our state, and I want to give a shout-out to the Democratic Party of Illinois and our chair, Lisa Hernandez, and the organizing apparatus that they’ve built. We certainly saw what happened to our neighbors in Wisconsin with the Supreme Court. And even down in Florida, we saw that we can compete even in some of the reddest states.
So as much as we’ve seen the chaos, we’ve also seen how people are taking to the streets with the “Hands Off” protests. They’re showing how they want their elected officials to fight for us. They’re giving us an example that they still have fight in them, and they want to see us fight. And it’s one of the reasons why I launched my Level Up PAC — and that also happened this first quarter — to make sure that we have a vehicle to not just have that dialog but to show real action of how Illinois is fighting back. Gov. Pritzker and I have been vocal about standing up to the chaos that’s coming out of Washington, and from Rockford to Rock Island I’ve been out in communities to make sure that we are listening to residents but also letting them know that their leaders are fighting for them too.
Richard Chew: And that’s so great to hear, Madame Lieutenant Governor, because I’ve said this on my show a number of times: You and Gov. Pritzker have been leading the way, not just for the state but for the nation. And we are super proud of what our elected officials have done in the state, and we’re super proud of what your administration has done.
What is some of the impact that you’re seeing, feeling from the folks that you’re talking to real time about the leadership, frankly, that you guys are showing here in the state of Illinois?
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: Well, Richard, I tell you: we’ve been in office six-and-a-half years. We’re proud of our accomplishments. But I have heard from more people during this particular time, over this first quarter that you talked about, of people saying, I am so proud to be in Illinois. And I’m so proud of the leadership of our state. And it’s because we are being vocal. We’re calling out Trump’s failures. We’re making sure that we’re demonstrating how Trump is failing the American people and failing everyday families who are just trying to get by. And we know what those issues are.
I’m listening to people. I’m going into communities to say, you tell us what you are focused on. They are focused on rising prices, they are focused on jobs, and they are focused on health care, and Donald Trump is failing in all three of those areas. Despite what he said, whatever he campaigned on, despite what he said he was going to do, he has done none of those things. And yet, in contrast, the reason why Illinoisians are so proud is because we’re not only holding him accountable, but we’re delivering on all of those things.
I mean, look at what’s happening with this ongoing and escalating trade war, where prices are rising because of Donald Trump. But in Illinois, we’re bringing prices down. We eliminated the grocery tax, so we’re bringing prices down, when Trump has slashed tens of thousands of jobs, including jobs held by our veterans. It’s unconscionable. But yet, in Illinois, we’ve created thousands of new jobs by investing in 21st century technologies. And then, of course, one of the biggest issues that has caused people to take to the streets and say “hands off our health care” is that Donald Trump is proposing nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid.
But look at what we’ve done here in Illinois. We wiped away medical debt and we’re making it easier for folks to get health care. So I think that you’ll just continue to see this contrast, and it’s why people are saying, I’m so proud to live in this state.
And by the way, I’ve heard from a number of people, including this weekend, as I headed out to McHenry County and headed out to Rock Island County, who said, ‘I used to live in a neighboring state, but I came to Illinois because I want this kind of leadership for myself.’ So we’re going to keep hearing that and really proud of what the Pritzker-Stratton administration has done and we’ll continue to do these big things.
Richard Chew: And we’re super proud and excited about that and hearing the forward thinking. I read a letter from a gentleman a couple of weeks ago on my show where he talked about — he moved from Kentucky, he and his husband, and the governor posted that letter, and it’s just another reflection of the type of leadership that you, Lt. Gov. Stratton, have provided to the state, to people around us, to the neighboring states and, frankly, in the nation. I’ve talked to people from coast to coast that have said, wow, you guys in Illinois are getting things done, and it’s the place to be, frankly.
You’ve been active on social media. Talking about being out and talking to folks. Every time we look up — and this is in a smiling face I say this — you’re spending time with local businesses. And I’m just curious, what’s been your driving force, your impetus behind that effort?
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: Well, I think, first of all, look at what’s happening with our economy right now. Every day, working families are going to be impacted, but so will our small businesses. It’s an opportunity for me to, again, continue to show the stark contrast of what we’re doing here in Illinois, where we’re supporting businesses, supporting middle-class families all across our state. And we’re seeing, instead, an attack on businesses, an attack on working families coming out of Washington, D.C. But I also think, of course, that social media can be a powerful tool. It’s a way to reach people where they are.
I have been doing videos talking about some of the policies that we are seeing, the policy conversations, and making sure that Illinoisans know how these policies coming out of Washington will be touching their lives, what resources are available for them. They want to hear from us. They want to know about the cuts to education and the threats to Medicaid, and they also want to know ways that we, here in Illinois, are continuing to do the work to lift up our residents and our constituents and make sure that their lives are better. Because to me, Richard, that’s what government should really be about.
So I think social media can be a great tool. It can also be a stressor. I don’t want to deny that. I also try to do some things that are fun and lighthearted. I try to talk about self-care, about building community and, of course, supporting our local businesses all across the state. One, because I want people to know all the great things that we have here in Illinois, the great businesses. But secondly, because I think it’s a nod to how important our small businesses are to the local community.
I just want to touch on what you said. It is a contrast, and you are seeing people looking at Illinois, and it is what you talked about. It’s something that should be shared across the nation. And I see Illinois as really having the blueprint for states around the country about the kind of work that can be accomplished. Look, we’ve protected reproductive freedom; we’ve raised the minimum wage; we’ve passed common-sense gun safety laws; we’ve invested in our infrastructure all across the state. These are the kinds of policies that not only make sense, but they make the lives of our residents better. And that’s why the Level Up PAC that I launched is an opportunity to say to the nation, ‘Take a look at what we’ve done here, look at what we’ve accomplished.’ And we want to spread that message far and wide, because it’s an example of what other states can do, just like here in Illinois.
Richard Chew: Yeah. Last couple of questions, because I know your schedule is tight, because you’re very busy: What do you recommend that regular, everyday folks can do to stay active and not lose faith and not lose hope right now?
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: Think about it. It’s not going to be easy. We have an uphill battle that we are facing. But I do see a shift, Richard. I do see a shift happening. As I talked about before, we are seeing people taking to the streets and saying, hands off the things that we care about: hands off our civil rights, hands off our health care, et cetera, et cetera. And people are getting fired up. So there’s a shift that is happening. And I think that we have to keep taking — you know, when people say, I’m so angry and I’m so frustrated, we have to make sure that they are channeling that energy into action.
Illinois, again, is setting the example. Gov. Pritzker and I continue to call out the nonsense and the chaos that’s happening in Washington, D.C. We are being bold. We are not mincing words. When we see this chaos happen, we are pausing to say, this is what’s happening. We’re getting out on our social media and in the press and we are talking about it every chance we get. But we also have to keep listening to Illinoisians because they are going to keep telling us how we can make their lives better. So there’s this sort of dual response, and it requires all of us. It’s not just elected leaders raising their voices. We need people to tell us, here’s what we’re looking for from our leaders. We don’t want you just going along to get along. We want you to stand up. We want you to fight. And that’s what we are hearing on a day-to-day basis.
And then I think the other thing is people sometimes wonder how to get engaged. Everything makes a difference. I was talking to a woman this weekend who said, ‘Well, I wrote 300 postcards’ And I said, ‘That’s amazing.’ We need you to write postcards when the elections are coming up. We need people to be precinct committee people. We need people to run for office. We need people to get to the streets and march when it’s time. We need them to vote when there’s an election. And we need them to go to other states, if they can, where it might be more difficult than it is to elect Democrats than in Illinois.
But the bottom line is, whatever you have to do — just like when I woke up on Nov. 6 after Election Day, everybody has to ask themselves the question, ‘Am I going to just kind of sit back and just kind of check out, or am I going to lean in and get to work?’ I decided to lean in and get to work. And I’m hearing people all over our state say we’re going to do that too.
Richard Chew: That’s great to hear.
And as we wrap up — we’re in the second quarter now. If you said, ‘Richard, this is the thing I want to make sure that my administration gets done, or at least gets started,’ what would that thing be?
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: I would love to say that there was one thing, and I don’t want to evade your question. But honestly, right now, we are focused on what we have been doing, which is to provide some stability and fiscal responsibility in the state of Illinois. The governor has proposed our seventh consecutive balanced budget. We’ve passed six consecutive balanced budgets, and it’s important that we continue on this path to financial responsibility.
You’ll recall that when we took office, and I was a state legislator at the time, we had gone through almost two years without a balanced budget, and that had [left] our communities in disarray. It led so many nonprofit organizations who were doing good work in our communities — many of whom had to shut their doors. We had colleges and universities wondering, ‘Could they still attract students because they were facing so much instability?’ And of course, it affected health care, it affected child care, and so much [more] that our families depend on. This fiscal responsibility that we have demonstrated over these last six-and-a-half years needs to continue. We need to get the balanced budget passed. And you know it becomes more challenging as we’re seeing chaos coming out of Washington.
Our goal is to provide that steady leadership to make sure that we can keep taking care of the work of the state of Illinois and keep caring for the people of our state who need it, and I think that’s my top priority right now.
Richard Chew: Yeah, stability, consistency, a sense of safety. These are all things that you have embraced, and certainly you and Gov. Pritzker have embraced.
And as always, we thank you for taking the time to be with us right now. I know folks always want to hear from you. You’ve been a champion every day, and that’s one of the things that makes it so easy and such an honor to speak with you and have you on our show. So thank you, Lt. Gov. Stratton, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us this morning.
Lt. Got. Juliana Stratton: Thanks so much, Richard. Have a great day.
Richard Chew: I will. Thank you again. Bye, now.
The post Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton talks administration’s successes, standing up to Trump with WCPT’S Richard Chew appeared first on Heartland Signal.
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April 21, 2025 at 12:56PM
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