Stratton, Tracy offer opposing pitches for Senate race
(The Center Square) – Illinois Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, a Democrat, and former Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy met in their only televised debate, offering contrasting visions in the race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
On the issue of affordability, candidates began with criticisms of the others’ party.
Stratton placed the blame of economic issues like high fuel prices at the feet of President Donald Trump’s administration.
“An illegal war, illegal tariffs, and that’s what’s caused so much disruption to our economy. Why everything is so expensive right now. We need leaders in Washington who are going to stand up to this president,” Stratton said.
Tracy blamed Stratton and Gov. J.B. Pritzker for adding to the high cost of living for Illinoisans through tax increases.
“Democrats think that they know how to fix affordability. But everything Democrats and my opponent do increases the cost of living. For example, the Pritzker-Stratton administration increased taxes and fees almost 70 times,” Tracy said.
Stratton said she wants to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $25 per hour.
“I’m proposing that we raise the minimum wage to $25 an hour and have a livable wage, not just the bare minimum, where people can have a little more money in their pockets,” Stratton said. “As we have more wages, people are going to be able to take care of their family. They’re going to be able to put money into the local economy. It’s going to help our businesses.”
Stratton pointed to the state’s incremental increase of the minimum wage over four years as a compromise with small business interests instead of having it jump from $8.5 to $15 an hour, noting she’d have “all stakeholders at the table.”
Tracy tied the minimum wage increase to other proposals from Stratton that he said would be costly for the government.
“Raising the minimum wage, which, of course, will be a death sentence for small businesses everywhere and also what will that do to the cost of living? What will that do to the cost of a cheeseburger, a Big Mac or anything like that? That will – again, everything, every solution they have is spending more money,” Tracy said.
As for foreign trade and policy, Tracy said he thinks the jury is still out on the issue of the president’s tariffs.
“It takes a while for the results of that to happen,” Tracy said. “[Trump is] trying to use, I think, tariffs as a tool, not an objective.”
Tracy’ said the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled multiple tariff efforts by Trump illegal.
She said one of her first priorities would be to back legislation to ensure Americans receive a check covering the extra costs that may have been passed onto them when previous tariffs were in effect.
The candidates will appear alongside American Center Party candidate Whitfield Harrington, who didn’t meet the requirements for the debate, on voters’ ballots on election day in under two weeks.
Sunny
