Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (left), the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate, and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (right), who served Illinois from 1993 to 1999. | Illinois Office of the Lieutenant Governor; U.S. Senate Historical Office
Illinois U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton has turned down nearly every debate and interview request of the general election, prompting comparisons to Carol Moseley Braun, the last Illinois Democrat to embarrass the state on the way to the Senate.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (left), the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate, and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (right), who served Illinois from 1993 to 1999. | Illinois Office of the Lieutenant Governor; U.S. Senate Historical Office
Illinois U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton has turned down nearly every debate and interview request of the general election, prompting comparisons to Carol Moseley Braun, the last Illinois Democrat to embarrass the state on the way to the Senate.
Stratton, the Democrat lieutenant governor running to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin, has deliberately avoided policy in her campaign, repeatedly posting “dancing videos” on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram while refusing debate and forum invitations extended by news organizations and civic groups.
CBS 2 Chicago, Fox 32 Chicago, the League of Women Voters of Peoria, the Illinois Farm Bureau, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, the Technology and Manufacturing Association and the Illinois Municipal League all sought to host a debate between Stratton and her Republican opponent, Don Tracy.
Tracy accepted every one of them.
Stratton agreed to just one, a forum hosted by Democrat-friendly Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW set for October 20, weeks after early voting begins in Illinois.
She also declined an interview request from The Center Square in July.
Dancing videos instead of interviews
Instead of interviews, Stratton has frequently posted photos and videos of herself dancing on social media.
Juliana Stratton hasn’t conducted public interviews, but she has frequently published photos of herself dancing on social media. (Facebook)
Stratton campaigned in multiple primary debates earlier this year, but only against fellow Democrats who largely agreed with her on the issues.
The “F— Trump” ad
The debate avoidance follows an episode that gave Stratton her widest public exposure of the race.
In February, Stratton released her first general-election television ad, opening with six people, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, exclaiming “F— Trump.”
Gov. JB Pritzker, who has endorsed Stratton, made a cameo in the same ad.
Article continues here.
Editorial note: Who needs debates when she’s guaranteed union votes?
🧬 MARKETING ANALYSIS: WHEN “NEWS” BECOMES THE MESSAGE
The Barrington Hills Observer’s headline:
“Moseley-Braun, Part II? Democrat U.S. Senate hopeful Stratton refuses debates, claims to be ‘dancing’ her way to Washington.”
Sounds like straight local political reporting.
Except the article is actually by Mark Glennon/Wirepoints, and its language immediately tells you what product is being sold:
Stratton isn’t merely declining debates. She’s supposedly “denying voters” the ability to discover whether she possesses even a “meager understanding” of the issues.
Her October WTTW appearance isn’t simply acknowledged. Readers are prepped in advance to distrust it because, the writer says, “we should expect no tough questions for Stratton.” The Barrington Hills Observer
Then comes the photograph.
Stratton posted a picture of herself dancing.
That becomes:
“Dancing instead of interviews.”
And finally the comparison to former Democratic Senator Carol Moseley Braun.
Watch the transformation:
FACT: Stratton declined several forums and accepted one televised October forum.
⬇️
FRAMING: She’s avoiding scrutiny.
⬇️
EMOTIONAL CUE: Look! She’s dancing instead.
⬇️
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: Remember another Illinois Democrat the writer considers embarrassing?
⬇️
CONCLUSION PROVIDED FOR YOU: This candidate isn’t serious enough to represent Illinois.
That’s not necessarily fabricated information.
It’s marketing through selection, association and framing.
And here’s the part I LOVE for this experiment:
Don Tracy’s own campaign is simultaneously running “SOCIALISM DESTROYS LIVES” billboards and advertising portraying Stratton as “Too Extreme.” Don Tracy for Senate
So the campaign message is:
Stratton = socialist/extreme.
The conservative commentary ecosystem adds:
Stratton = hiding/unserious/another Moseley Braun.
And a local outlet republishes it for a Barrington Hills audience.
Campaign → ideological media → local distribution → voter impression.
Nobody needs to send out secret talking points.
The ecosystem does the distribution all by itself.
And THAT is precisely why I’m doing these marketing analyses: not to tell anyone whom to vote for, but to show how the product called “a candidate” gets manufactured before it reaches the voter. 😂