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This week, Super Tuesday was back with a vengeance with five major presidential primaries (North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and — last but certainly not least — Florida) to determine what delegates would go to which candidates running for elected office.
Tuesday also saw House and Senate primaries in a number of states, and two JStreetPAC endorsees, Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who currently represents Illinois’ 8th congressional district) and Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland found out that they would be their party’s respective nominees in the Senate last night.
Both races are essential for those who prioritize diplomacy-first foreign policy. The two sitting US Senators Mark Kirk and Rob Portman, opposed the Iran deal and advocated for hawkish approaches to addressing foreign policy. Duckworth and Strickland, however, will lead a different path forward — one that focuses on hard-nosed diplomacy in order to advance American leadership in the Middle East.
Duckworth has beat tough incumbents before; in 2012, she beat Republican incumbent Joe Walsh to get his seat in Congress. Foreign policy was a significant focus of her election then, and the same is true now. And we’re confident that she can do it again — because she’s the best candidate for the state of Illinois, especially if you share her commitment to diplomacy.
This is only the beginning of both of their exciting journeys towards the Senate, and JStreetPAC will be here every step of the way. You can learn more about JStreetPAC’s important candidate work at www.jstreetpac.org.
Melanie Fineman is a Digital Assistant at J Street. She’s on Twitter at @mnfineman.