News: EMILY’s List, the influential abortion-rights group, will endorse Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s Senate bid today despite vehement objections from members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are supporting Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.).
This is a big deal for a few reasons. EMILY’s List only endorses Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights. And in recent years, it typically hasn’t endorsed if two such women were running against each other in a major primary.
But the group isn’t remaining neutral in Illinois’ Senate race.
“The mission of EMILY’s List is clear — to win races with Democratic pro-choice women,” said Amanda Sherman Baity, the group’s spokesperson. “This is going to be a tough primary, and we can’t afford to sit it out if we’re going to elect another Democratic woman to the U.S. Senate at a time when the bold leadership she will provide has never been more important.”
Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) retirement has created a rare open Senate seat in a blue state. The Democratic primary is a three-way contest between Stratton, Kelly and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a prodigious fundraiser who has been airing TV ads since July.
News of the pending endorsement spread last week at the CBC Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, where both Stratton and Kelly were in attendance. Members of the CBC made EMILY’s List aware of their objections, according to sources familiar with those conversations. Both Stratton and Kelly are Black.
Stratton has the backing of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, support that could come with financial aid. Kelly was endorsed in May by 18 members of the CBC, including Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.). Kelly is a former chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, where she clashed with Pritzker and his orbit.
Another dynamic to keep in mind: The CBC is a powerful and deeply influential group within the House Democratic Caucus and the Democratic Party as a whole. And Pritzker is believed to harbor 2028 ambitions.
The rationale. In the last few cycles, EMILY’s List has been wary of wading into high-profile races with multiple women candidates. It notably didn’t endorse in an open California Senate primary when Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee lost to now-Sen Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
However, there have been races when this did occur, including in the 2018 midterms when the group backed Stacey Abrams’ primary bid against Stacey Evans in the race for Georgia governor.
In Illinois, Krishnamoorthi has enjoyed an early polling lead. But EMILY’s List staff believe that’s not an insurmountable edge and Stratton is best-positioned to overtake him, according to a person familiar with the group’s thinking. The move wasn’t intended to slight Kelly.
