MAJOR breakthrough on Democrats EXPANDING the Supreme Court

I'm joined now by the Lieutenant. Governor of Illinois and Democratic. nominee for the US Senate in Illinois, Juliana Stratton. Thanks so much for. joining me. >> Thanks for having me. >> So, I know that you have been. particularly outspoken about the Voting. Rights Act and and especially the. Supreme Court decision gutting Section 2. of the Voting Rights Act, the Shelby. decision. And right now as we look. towards states across the country. with this redistricting war having. really heated up, we've seen that on the. Democratic side we have had California.

that redrew its maps successfully. And. yet on the Republican side we've seen. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, South. Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, Florida. So, a pretty vast asymmetry. here. Now, I know that right now you're. serving as Lieutenant Governor and. you'll be you're running for US Senate. And so, I I very much presume that. you'll be in that seat. So, this. wouldn't be exactly your jurisdiction, but as we look at states that have some.

ability. to to serve as weapons for for Democrats. in this redistricting war, what do you. think that Illinois should do as we. continue to go down this path where. Republicans are trying to engineer. themselves a permanent majority in the. House by redrawing every map to. eliminate not just all black opportunity. districts, but any Democratic districts? >> Yeah, well first and foremost I think. that everything should be on the table. to fight back. in so many ways because we can't as you. just sort of alluded to, we can't just.

sort of sit here with our hands tied. behind our back. So, we're keeping a close look on. everything that's happening. We're. looking at what's happening in places. like Indiana for example. And what I. will say as someone running for the. United States Senate and being the. Democratic nominee. that I am also keeping a close eye on. what I can do when I get to Washington. D.C. because in so many ways the Supreme. Court has uh, just really gutted the. Voting Rights Act and the whole goal is. to dilute,

uh, black and brown voting power and. political power. And in so many ways. that's what Republicans want. And so, one of the things that I want to do, of. course, is to pass the John Lewis Voting. Rights Act when I get there. I want to. do as much as I can to work to. strengthen our civil rights, uh, protections all across the board. I'm. proud of what we've done in Illinois to. make sure that we could strengthen. voting rights and make it easier for. people to vote. that's what we should be. focused on when we have a federal. administration that's trying to roll. back those protections. And like I said,

everything should be on the table and. that includes for me, uh, looking at. what we can do to reform the Supreme. Court. And I would look at everything. from expanding the court, looking at. term limits, uh, and whatever we can do. And I will. not be somebody that will confirm any of. this president's nominees to the Supreme. Court if that should come up. I should. just This has been very personal to me. because my father marched from Selma to. Montgomery in 1965 to protect voting.

rights and to protest voting rights. discrimination. And, uh, I feel like in. so many ways he's passed the baton to. me. I lost my father in November and, uh, while I was campaigning for Senate. And I feel like he has passed the baton. to me and to all of us, really, to make. sure that we stand up so that people's. voices can be heard. >> Well, I'm I'm sorry to hear about your. father, but I I'm, you know, I I. uh, in so far as, um, I can say that I'm. I'm sure he's proud that you are that. that you're able to speak to this issue. with such clarity. And in fact, that's.

probably the most refreshing part of all. of this is that normally, you know, somebody would say, "Okay, we have to. pass a new Voting Rights Act." And then. my next question would be, "Okay, but we. have an existing Voting Rights Act and. we also have a Supreme Court that isn't. going to allow it to stand." And so, how. do you reconcile those two things? Would. you be in favor of of expanding the. Supreme Court? And then it's a lot of. hemming and hawing because Democrats are. generally not that comfortable with um. with major changes to to institutions. that were often way too deferential to. And so, to hear you be able to say, "No,

we actually have to look at the root of. the problem." Because we can pass all. the voting rights acts that we want, but. at the end of the day, if we have a 6-3. conservative court that isn't going to. allow anything to stand, then all of. it's going to be moot. It's going to be. a symbolic exercise. >> Absolutely. And we do. And uh and I. think that this is a moment that really. requires courage and it requires. speaking out and it requires saying that. business as usual does not work when. you're dealing with a wannabe dictator. whose authoritarian agenda continues to. advance. >> Now, on some other issues that that I.

think a lot of people feel like its time. has come, can you speak a little bit. about what you would like to see as far. as health care is concerned? Because. there has been. Look, on on the Republican side, obviously, it's a disaster. The closest. thing we got to any health care health. care reforms is Donald Trump promising a. decade ago that we would have a new. health care plan in 2 weeks. So, obviously, they just want to entrench a. system. uh uh that that either currently exists. or go back to what we had before where. health care insurers could kick people.

off of their coverage um if they have. pre-existing conditions. But even on the. Democratic side, there has been no. meaningful step steps forward um and and. a lot of what we have is just the result. of of some incrementalism. And so, what. would you like to see as far as health. care is concerned moving forward? >> Well, first and foremost, I want to see. us reverse the cuts that have been made. by this administration. But then we have. to really work towards something better. because as I travel the state, um I. think when we talk about this.

affordability crisis and the umbrella of. the affordability crisis, health care is. almost number one on one of the issues. that I hear from people all across the. state. And I always bring up two things. that are from my own personal story. Number one, that I ran for office in the. first place um back in 2016. when I was the caregiver for my mother. who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. and I start by talking about how. the state of Illinois and our previous.

governor was trying to strip away health. care and my state representative at the. time was helping him to do that and I. knew how hard it was to care for my. mother and I believe that vulnerable. seniors like her deserved access to care. and that's what led me to run for office. in the first place. But fast forward to. 20. 2025 and 2026 when my daughter, one of. my four daughters who gets her health. care under the ACA exchange also is. living with the fact that she called me. and said, "Mom, let me tell you how my.

health care premiums are going up and. how much more it's going to be under the. ACA in 2026. So I'm going to get the. plan with the fewest amount of. benefits." Yeah. That is not how anyone. should approach getting their health. care. Not my daughter, no one should not. be have access to the care they need. I. want to see us pass Medicare for all. I'm going to fight for that. I don't. believe that we should have people. choosing between going to the doctor or. paying their rent. I believe that. everyone should have access to quality.

affordable health care and and I also, you know, it ties to the reason why I'm. not accepting any corporate PAC money. because um too many people in Washington. D.C. are unwilling to fight for Medicare. for all because they've been bought by. the health care. industry and that is really hindering. our progress. So I'm going to be a. strong voice to make sure that we fight. for everyone to have access to health. care. >> Um I. I am in complete agreement with you. I've been advocating for Medicare for.

all for years now. But there are going. to be critics on both the left and the. right who are going to say that that. it's too expensive. And so what would. your reaction or your response to those. critics on on both sides of the aisle be. as you know this debate um. takes place in in the upcoming. congressional terms. >> Well, we all know and we're seeing it. play out right before our eyes when when. people want to find money for something. they can find it. And we've heard this. president say well we don't have money. for health care, we don't have money for.

child care, but here's how much money I. want for a war that no one asked for. So. this is really to me an issue of. political will. And we have to have. people again and I know that this word. I've used before, but this is the time. to have the courage. The fact that this administration is. going to strip so many people of their. health care and their Medicaid coverage. and I look at a state like Illinois. where there are potentially nine rural. hospitals that can close. I look at the. black women's maternal mortality crisis.

that I have led on in the state of. Illinois and the impact that that's. going to have when 50% of our births in. this state are to people who are covered. by Medicare, I mean by Medicaid, excuse me. What I. just believe is that. every single person is going to be. impacted whether it's longer wait times. in the ER, whether it's. inability to see a doctor where it's. just you know what happens to our. economy when we have so many people who. don't have access to the care they need.

Um this is an issue of political will. and if we believe that people should. have the care have access to quality. affordable health care and that this is. an important issue for everyone, then we. just have to have the courage to fight. for it and that's what I'm going to do. >> You know to that end. in terms of being able to find funds to. pay for things that. that are the the political priority of. this administration. I mean right now. there is a UFC ring being constructed on.

the White House lawn at the same time. that Americans health care has been cut. for tens of millions of people, food. assistance has been cut, prices are. rising across the country. We have gas. that's nearly at its highest point ever. And yet we have this this like dystopian. Hunger Games-esque. ring being constructed at the Capitol. So, can I have your reaction to the fact. that that whereas there is apparently no. no no amount of taxpayer funds that. could cover the things that people need. from the government, there is always, you know, money for stuff like.

you know, these vanity projects that. Trump wants to see. >> Absolutely, and it is infuriating. And. we need to speak out, and we need to. make sure that uh certainly I know I. will do this as a leader in Washington, speak out and use my voice to call it. out, and to remind taxpayers that this. is their money that's being spent on. things that no one has asked for. Whether we're talking about this uh this. match, whether we're talking about the. golden ballroom,

Donald Trump has said. point-blank, "I do not care about the financial. situations of Americans." He has made. that clear. And we are seeing that every. single day. And I can tell you that uh. this administration is not focused on. doing what's in the best interest of. Americans. This is not a president who. kept his word when he said, "I'm going. to lower inflation, lower the price of. groceries." We have seen, as you said, gas prices where people are going to the. pump and what where they used to fill up.

their tank, they're now getting a half a. tank for the same amount. That's why. people are so frustrated right now, that. they're watching uh Donald Trump and his. wealthiest friends get wealthier by the. day, and they're getting left behind. And we. need leaders who are going to call it. out and say, "I'm going to fight for you. as the people of Illinois and and. Americans all across this country.". >> Is is the $1.776 billion slush fund for.

insurrectionists, convicted. insurrectionists. Is that a legal. exercise? >> A legal exercise in that in which way? That that that's what he wants to do. I. mean, what what it is is another example. of him rewarding. his cronies. This is another example of. corruption. This I mean, it's ludicrous. and I This is one of the most. infuriating things that I have seen in. terms of Donald Trump's abuse of power. That's what it is to me. Um I mean, look at this. I mean, and and.

I you know, I'm glad that it at least. initially we're seeing a little pause, but I'm telling you there's no one. that should agree uh and I'm calling out. the congressional Republicans as well. No one should agree with this president. trying to basically reward people who. are insurrectionists where we have seen. law enforcement officers and others. literally get killed and this president. wants to reward them. >> Yeah. And yet, I mean, you know, you.

were talking about courage. The the fact that we have so few. Republicans who are willing to speak out. because they have seen what happened to. Thomas Massie and and and Bill Cassidy. and John Cornyn goes to show that like. these people are solely focused on. protecting their jobs. That's it. They. are not focused whatsoever on serving. their constituents because it doesn't. serve their constituents to spend $2. billion. turning each one of the 1,500 convicted. insurrectionists into millionaires by. virtue of of um allowing this $2 billion.

slushfund to pass. >> 100% and I think that that's where. our voices and getting the message out. around what we are actually doing and. then delivering on it. I think it's a. great example of what we've done in. Illinois. I mean, I always talk about. the Illinois blueprint, how we've been. able to raise wages, how we've expanded. access to health care, we put Illinois. on a path to a clean energy future. We. have um, you know, protected.

reproductive freedom and made Illinois. an island for reproductive freedom. We. protected workers' rights. I talk about. those things about what we have. delivered because Democrats have. delivered on the things that matter for. everyday Illinoisans and everyday. Americans. And yet we have a president. who made all of these promises um, and. you know, it took a primary for us to finally see. uh, Bill Cassidy take a a stand about. what's happening with the war in Iran. It shouldn't be that people are afraid.

to speak out against this president. And. to me, honestly, it's too little, too. late. Like when I say courage is not. waiting because oh, now I'm on my way. out and so let me say something. Although. good that it's happening, I guess. Right. What needs to happen is that we. need to speak out as Democrats and we. can't rely on the the Republicans to do. the right thing because as you said, it's coming out at the last minute. Where is the courage? Where is their.

backbone? And when are they going to put. the people that they represent first? I. believe that as Democrats, as I said, we. have the message about what we have. done, what we will do, what we will. fight for and we need to be stronger and. bolder in getting that message out. >> Man, I I I feel I could run through a. brick wall right now. So, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, for for. those who are looking to to help your. campaign for US Senate, where can they. go? >> Go to juliannastratton.com. I have a general election and I'm going.

to be fighting and working hard every. single day to make sure that I can take. your voices with me to Washington, D.C. and go to the mat fighting for you, the. people, and uh, go to. juliannastratton.com and see how you can. get involved. >> Great. I'm going to put that link right. here on the screen and also in the post. description. For those who are listening. on the podcast, I'm going going it in. the show notes. Uh, thank you so much for taking the. time. Your campaign is a breath of fresh. air and and looking forward to speaking. with you again. >> Thanks so much for having me.