The US Senate is set to make history in January 2027, when three Black women will serve in the chamber at the same time for the first time in its 237-year history. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's election victory will make this possible.
Juliana Stratton won the Illinois Senate election on Tuesday, defeating Republican candidate Don Tracy. She will take office in January 2027 and become the third Black woman serving in the Senate alongside two other Democratic senators, as reported by Axios.
Three Black women in US Senate
Stratton will join Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland in the Senate. Both women won their elections in 2024 and started serving in 2025. They were the first two Black women to serve in the US Senate at the same time.
Deep Dive
Who will serve alongside Juliana Stratton as the three Black women in the US Senate?
When will three Black women serve in the US Senate at the same time?
What representation milestone will Juliana Stratton and Tammy Duckworth achieve for Illinois?
Stratton will become the sixth Black woman to serve in the US Senate. Her victory will add another milestone to the history of Black women's representation in the upper chamber of Congress.
Black women senators in US history
Illinois will have a second Black woman senator in its history. Carol Moseley Braun became the first Black woman ever elected to the US Senate in 1992. She also became the first Black woman to represent Illinois in the chamber.
{{/usCountry}}Illinois will have a second Black woman senator in its history. Carol Moseley Braun became the first Black woman ever elected to the US Senate in 1992. She also became the first Black woman to represent Illinois in the chamber.
{{/usCountry}}Former US Vice President Kamala Harris was the second Black woman elected to the Senate. She won her Senate election in 2016, becoming another important figure in the history of Black women's representation in Congress.
Also read: Alabama elects first transgender woman as Allison Montgomery defeats Republican in District 25
Former senator Laphonza Butler became the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her in 2023 to replace the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. However, Butler was appointed to the position and did not win a Senate election.
US Senate representation milestone
The simultaneous presence of three Black women in the Senate will mark a major change in its representation. More than 235 years after the Senate first convened, the chamber is set to reach this milestone for the first time in January 2027.
Illinois to have two women of colour
Illinois will also make history with two women of colour representing the state in the Senate at the same time. Stratton will serve alongside Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, making Illinois the first state to have two women of colour representing it simultaneously in the upper chamber.
Stratton's victory will therefore bring two historic milestones for the Senate: three Black women will serve together for the first time, and Illinois will become the first state represented by two women of colour in the chamber simultaneously.