Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is wading into the open primary to succeed longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, endorsing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton to join her in representing Illinois in the Senate.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for Senate, giving Stratton backing from a second top state Democrat.

Duckworth’s endorsement of Stratton follows Durbin's retirement announcement last week after nearly 30 years in the Senate.