Tammy Duckworth

With Juliana Stratton projected to defeat Don Tracy, Illinois will become the first state in the US to have two women of color in the Senate at once.

After she's sworn in on January 3, Juliana Stratton will join Senator Tammy Duckworth and the two will make history.

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Speaking after her projected win, Stratton said, "when I became a state representative in 2017, people told me, 'Don't ruffle too many feathers. Don't make too many waves. You're a freshman. Sit back. Just learn.' Well, I ignored that advice then, and I certainly won't be sitting back and listening quietly when I get to Washington, D.C."

Duckworth -- who has previously marked several historic firsts in her time as an elected official, including being the first Thai American woman elected to Congress and first female double amputee in the Senate -- addressed Stratton's win in a conversation with NBC Chicago.

"I'm super proud of Illinois, and I'm really looking forward to having Juliana Stratton as my partner in Washington," Duckworth said. "It's the first time any state has sent two women of color in our nation's entire history. What it tells me is that representation matters."

Stratton defeated several high-profile candidates including Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi in the March primary before knocking off former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy in the general election on Tuesday.

She spent the past eight years as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s lieutenant governor, and the governor later backed her effort to run for Senate, giving her one of her highest-profile endorsements in the lead-up to the primary.