Don Tracy: If Illinois Is Stratton’s Blueprint, America Should Be Concerned
SPRINGFIELD — As Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton campaigns for the U.S. Senate, she has made one thing clear: she plans to take Illinois’ policies national.
“...And now I’m taking that blueprint to Washington, D.C.,” Stratton said, as she released her policy platform in the primary. When pressed in a WTTW interview about how she would deliver on some of her extreme campaign promises, she again pointed to Illinois as the model: “Well look what we’ve done here in Illinois…”
Yes. Look at Illinois. Working families are already living with the results of Stratton’s “blueprint,” and they can’t afford more of it.
“Working families across America should be paying very close attention, because Illinois is becoming less affordable by the day,” said Tracy.
New data shows just how costly that “blueprint” has been for working families.
According to a report from the Joint Economic Committee-Minority, the average Illinois household paid $1,781 more in cost-of-living expenses in 2025 alone, which is higher than neighboring states like Wisconsin. Housing costs rose by an average of $424, while transportation costs also out-paced most other states.
“Stratton comes from a culture of career politicians who prioritize more bureaucracy, more waste, and ultimately, higher costs for families.
“Juliana Stratton is calling Illinois a success story. But for families struggling to pay their bills, it doesn’t feel like success. It feels like they’re being left behind.
“I’ve spent my career working for families and small businesses. I know what it means when every dollar counts. In the Senate, I’ll work for the common sense solutions that Stratton rejects to lower the cost-of-living for working families.”
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About Don Tracy:
Don is Senior Counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens, the oldest law firm in Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln famously practiced law for four years. Public service is important to Don, with a lifetime spent in community service, most often in volunteer positions. He has served as Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, Secretary of the Illinois Bar Foundation, President of the Sangamon County Bar Association, Chairman of the Illinois Corporate Acts Advisory Committee, and President of the Abraham Lincoln Association, President of the Oak Ridge Cemetery Board, among other community leadership positions. Born in Urbana, raised in Mt. Sterling in Western Illinois, and having raised his own family in Springfield in Central Illinois, Don has deep ties to "downstate Illinois." As the oldest of 12 children, family has always been important to Don.