Juliana Stratton becomes the first major Democrat to declare bid for retiring Dick Durbin’s Senate seat

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s quick move — announcing her plans in a video posted on social media at 5 a.m. and less than 24 hours after Sen. Dick Durbin declared his intent not to run for a sixth term — was designed to position herself as an early front-runner in what is expected to be a highly competitive race.

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	US Sen. Dick Durbin’s retirement opens the floodgates for a number of potential successors