Qualifications
10 year veteran of the US Marine Corps with service in Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, and the Pentagon; worked in the US Treasury Department under the Biden Administration, and taught for Chicago Public Schools for 4 years
I strongly support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and strongly oppose the SAVE Act. I believe we need to make election days federal holidays, establish universal vote by mail, and streamline voter registration processes. The most important voting right however, is that of choice. In 2024, half of the Illinois General Assembly acceded to office without facing opponents in the primary or general elections. This is undemocratic. Competitive elections are the bedrock of our democracy. That is why I support ranked choice voting, publicly financed campaigns, and a Constitutional Amendment to overrule Citizens United and Buckley so that Congress man ban Super PACs and establish campaign spending limits. Having real choices on the ballot is just
Money in politics is at the core of my campaign. We need to insulate our democracy from the corrupting influence of money in politics. In order to do this, we need to amend the Constitution to overrule Citizens United v. FEC (money is speech) and Buckley v. Valeo (corporations are people). But we never make any progress on advancing an amendment because our Members of Congress rely on our broken campaign finance system to stay in office. If we want to take money out of politics, we must elect people who reject money in politics. And that is what I have done with my campaign. Instead of spending my time on the phone with wealthy donors, I spend my time on the road with the people.
As a New Deal Democrat and a public school teacher, I believe in robust federal investment directly into our communities through direct appropriations from Congress. The federal government should leverage its taxing powers to fully fund public education across the nation so that the quality of a child’s education is not dependent on zip code. In Illinois, our reliance on the property tax model results in unequal education across the state. The federal government needs to step in to correct that imbalance through a symbiotic relationship with local and state revenue sources.
I believe the United States ought to lead by example on the international stage. To start, in order to undue all of the damage currently being done by the Trump Administration, the US Senate needs to ratify the Rome Statute, signed by President Clinton, to subject the United States to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. This will signal to the rest of the world that the United States is ready to once again commit itself to the ideals of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law. Furthermore, I believe the United States must also require the State of Israel to subject itself to the jurisdiction of the ICC as a condition for any future material support from the United States.
We need to enforce existing anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws. Corporations have become so large that they are able to manipulate markets and inflate prices. I saw this firsthand when I was stationed at the Pentagon. I would buy groceries from the commissary on base, a government-subsidized, non-profit grocery store. The dog food I would buy cost $15 at the commissary and $25 just outside of base at the local private grocery store.
Our government works for the 1% because the 1% fund nearly 80% of all campaigns. This is why our government treats big business like small business, and small business like big business. We need to tighten regulations on big business and loosen regulations on small business to help build a bottom up economy.
Qualifications
P.O. Box 101199
The right to vote is among the most precious of American rights for which people like Congressman John Lewis, and countless others, fought so bravely. Yet this President is determined to disenfranchise millions of voters. And he has aggressively pushed for Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps to help retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections.
I support the creation of fair political maps and would support a 50-state plan if it existed. I’ve voted twice for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, restoring critical protections for fair maps and representation. I also oppose mid-term redistricting, with the exception of Prop 50 in California, which was intended to counteract Texas' partisan redistricting.
Our campaign finance system desperately needs reform. It’s complex, inconsistent, and there is too much money flowing into elections that would be better spent elsewhere. Too many good people do not even consider running because of the huge challenge in raising money when their candidates’ campaigns are being financed by large donors to whom they may be beholden. I am a firm believer in campaign finance reform. We must overturn Citizen’s United, which has allowed unlimited sums of money to be poured into campaigns. I also believe in publically funded campaigns, which reduce the influence of wealthy donors and allow candidates to focus on voter engagement rather than fundraising.
We must stop the President’s assault on the Department of Education and depoliticize our schools. We must focus on giving all students access to high-quality education, while ensuring the federal government pays its fair share to support IDEA funding. I was an original cosponsor of the IDEA Full Funding Act, which provides permanent, mandatory funding for special education and related services to children with disabilities. I’ve urged this Administration to address the student loan "default cliff" by creating interest-free temporary forbearance and reversing decisions that increased costs for borrowers. And I’ve helped lead the fight to improve teacher pay and strengthen civil rights protections for educators.
I believe it is crucial for the United States to support these international institutions. Collectively, these institutions have played a significant role in supporting America post-WWII. Every single American is affected by what happens outside U.S. borders and in global institutions. Collectively, these institutions address complex issues such as climate change, human rights and humanitarian crises, all of which are vital to our interests and global stability. Yet the Trump Administration has adopted an isolationist, xenophobic stance towards foreign policy and these institutions specifically. If this stance is not counteracted, it will negatively impact our well-being and potentially put our country in peril.
We need more voices in the United States Senate focused on what truly matters: the issues keeping Americans up at night. I’m running on a People Over Profits platform that is focused on addressing the affordability crisis affecting people across Illinois.
The fight for affordability is the fight for dignity— in health care, housing, child care, and everyday life. We need leaders with the courage to be bold and truly fight for workers and families across Illinois and our country— that begins with finally making the wealthy and well-connected pay their fair share. I believe that means we should do things like raise wages, cap childcare costs and provide Medicare for all.
Qualifications
I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, where I was first elected as a State Representative for Illinois’ 5th District in 2016. In the General Assembly, I had 10 bills signed into law in just two years before stepping up to run for statewide office alongside Governor JB Pritzker. I am the only candidate in this race who has represented all of Illinois, and I have a track record of delivering real results. For the past seven years, we’ve fought to deliver for working families, raising Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour and creating thousands of jobs with the largest infrastructure investment in state history, passing some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country, and enshrining abortion rights into law.
My father marched from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights 60 years ago and I’m proud to take on the fight today. Working with Gov. Pritzker, I’ve helped expand voter protections and access: creating permanent voter by mail registry, extending voting hours, and making Election Day a state holiday.
Congressional Republicans are attempting to disenfranchise millions of Americans, attacking voting access with the SAVE Act. Our authoritarian president doesn’t want us to even have elections. I’ll fight for our fundamental right to vote. I’d support passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and push for policies like expanded voting hours and stronger mail services to ensure you not only can vote, but feel you have a true voice in our democracy.
I’m the only leading candidate who refuses to accept a dime of corporate PAC money in this race because I’ll always put the needs of Illinoisans over special interests. To improve civic engagement and ensure everyone’s voice is heard, we need true campaign finance reform, and I would fight to end Citizens United, ban corporate PACs, prohibit members of Congress from trading individual stocks, and crack down on dark money in politics. I’ve been endorsed by End Citizens United because they recognize I’m the only viable candidate committed to putting Illinois’ working families above corporate special interests.
Education is a fundamental right. I’ll fight to ensure every student can access the quality education they deserve. Illinois has proven that investing in students works: our high school graduation rate is the highest in 14 years and our 8th graders have the second highest reading scores and fifth highest math scores nationwide.
Public education creates opportunities for the middle class. That’s we should: restore and rebuild the Department of Education as a guardian of public education and civil rights, protect funding for Head Start and early childhood learning programs from Trump’s cuts, and fund wraparound student support programs from broadband access to housing assistance, so students can focus on learning, not surviving.
As a world superpower, the U.S. has a duty to support and defend democracy and human rights around the globe. I’d support restoring funding for the USAID, rejoining international partnerships that uplift some of the world’s most vulnerable populations, and strengthening NATO to secure our mutual interests. The U.S. should be a partner for peace and international efforts to combat disease, hunger, and the countless other problems that afflict global populations. We should join efforts to provide humanitarian aid for countries suffering from natural disasters and global conflict. We cannot turn our backs on our allies and we cannot sit idly by as innocent people suffer when we have such capacity to be a force for good in this world.
Life is too expensive. Trump’s tariffs and rampant corporate greed skyrocket prices on everything from food to health care to utilities, and our families are suffering as a result.
Illinoisans deserve a life where they can put food on the table without worrying about making rent or skipping their medication to afford it. Alongside Governor Pritzker, I’ve helped bring down costs, eliminate the grocery tax, raise the minimum wage, relieve medical debt, and lower prescription drug prices – putting money back in your pockets.
I’ll fight for a $25 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and a tax cut for the middle class. I want to cut red tape, build more homes, and ensure that families aren’t competing with big banks to afford housing.
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I support making voting easier for working people by expanding early voting nationwide (including weekends and extended hours), adopting automatic voter registration so eligible citizens are added seamlessly when they interact with state agencies, and guaranteeing no excuse vote by mail with ballot tracking so voters can confirm their ballot was received and counted. I also support carefully exploring mobile voting through limited pilot programs for specific populations (like overseas military and voters with disabilities), with strict security standards, paper verified backups where feasible, and rigorous independent audits before any broader rollout.
If we want to reduce the role of money in politics, we have to be serious about it. That starts with overturning Citizens United and making clear that constitutional free speech protections belong to people, not corporations writing unlimited checks. We should end dark money by requiring full disclosure of donors behind Super PACs and nonprofit political groups, with no loopholes. And the FEC needs real enforcement teeth. Campaigns that illegally coordinate with affiliated Super PACs should face meaningful penalties, not symbolic fines that get written off as a cost of doing business.
Every child deserves a high quality public education, regardless of zip code. The federal government should focus on funding equity by strengthening Title I, fully supporting special education, and expanding access to high quality pre K so kids start school ready to learn. We should invest in evidence based literacy and math instruction, modernize school facilities, and expand high performing public options including magnet and selective enrollment programs. At the same time, we need transparency, clear standards, and accountability so funding translates into real academic gains, not just larger bureaucracies.
The United States helped build the postwar international system because it serves American interests and strengthens global stability. We should remain a reliable leader in NATO and honor our treaty commitments, while insisting our allies meet their defense spending obligations. Deterrence works when adversaries know they will lose. With institutions like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, our engagement should be practical and accountable: shape the rules, fund what works, and push reforms when bodies become ineffective or politicized. Leadership means leverage, not deference.
A vibrant economy starts with growth that lowers costs and raises wages. I support a pro building agenda: legalize more housing to bring down rents, streamline permitting for energy and infrastructure so we can deploy nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, and natural gas, and train more doctors to increase healthcare supply and reduce costs.
We should repeal broad based tariffs that raise prices on families and small businesses, invest in science and advanced manufacturing, and enforce competition laws so markets stay dynamic. Pair that with smart fiscal discipline and worker focused tax policy, and you get faster growth, more jobs, and an economy that works for the middle class.
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Qualifications
Litigator, solar entrepreneur, and activist for survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Elections in America are already very secure and anyone who says otherwise has an agenda to try to suppress the right of citizens to vote. Voting access should be convenient for citizens: Election Day should be a federal holiday and a day of celebration of democracy. Citizens should be given the options to vote by mail, early voting, or use a secured ballot dropbox.
Democracy is not compatible with rich people or corporations being able to buy candidates into office. The Citizens United Supreme Court decision that overruled reasonable campaign finance limits should be nullified by Congress by either statue or constitutional amendment.
Increase federal funding for education and change the way we fund education. We can divert 5-10% of funds from the massive defense budget by being better at auditing Pentagon funding and send that money back into our communities to fund education. This takes constant property tax increases off the table.
These international institutions emerged to keep peace in the post-WWII international order and we should continue to support these institutions because they lead to greater world peace through cooperation, diplomacy, and promotion of the rule of law, both domestic and international. Deteriorating these institutions would also deteriorate cooperation, diplomacy, and the rule of law amongst countries and make global conflict more likely.
We need to make life more affordable and the economy more accessible for everyday people. Our current economy prioritizes rich people and corporations through trickle down economics, which has exploded economic inequality, resulted in stagnant wages, and is squeezing our a middle class. Ending trickle down economics for a more just tax policy and increasing anti-monopoly enforcement will reinvigorate the ability for everyday people to start small businesses and participate in our economy.
Qualifications
I’m a Chicago-born attorney who is a former prosecutor, and I currently focus my practice on criminal defense, civil rights, and personal injury. I’ve seen how federal laws affect real people—from victims to working families—and I know how to draft, interpret, and fix legislation. I’m a husband, a father of two young daughters, and I'm grounded in service and accountability. I bring lived experience, legal skill, and clear policy solutions on healthcare, mental health, education, public safety, and civil liberties.
I support secure, accessible elections by strengthening voter access and election integrity. That includes automatic and same-day voter registration, expanded early and mail voting, and making Election Day a federal holiday so working people can vote. I support robust cybersecurity standards for voting systems, paper ballot backups, and post-election audits to protect against interference. I oppose voter suppression and partisan election administration, and I support clear, uniform rules nationwide so voters know their rights and election workers have the resources and protections they need. A strong democracy means every eligible voter can vote easily—and every vote is counted accurately.
The federal government should reduce the influence of money in elections by creating legislation that repeals Citizens United v. FEC and restoring limits on campaign spending. I support public financing of federal elections, strict caps on individual and PAC donations, and full transparency so voters know who is funding campaigns. Dark money groups should be banned from federal races, and enforcement at the Federal Election Commission must be strengthened. Our democracy should be driven by voters—not billionaires, corporations, or special interests.
The federal government should guarantee equitable, high-quality public education by fully funding public schools and closing gaps tied to ZIP code and property taxes. That means universal access to pre-K, smaller class sizes, competitive teacher pay, and modern facilities. Strong public education also advances women’s rights by expanding childcare through pre-K, allowing more women to work, and by ensuring girls have equal access to safe schools, STEM programs, sports, and leadership opportunities. I support federal investment in special education, mental health services, and school safety, as well as expanded after-school and enrichment programs to ensure every child—regardless of gender or background—can reach their full potential.
The United States has a responsibility to lead by strengthening international institutions that promote peace, security, and human rights. I support active engagement with the United Nations to address global challenges like conflict, humanitarian crises, and climate change. Our commitment to NATO is essential to collective security and deterring aggression. I also support cooperation with the International Criminal Court to uphold accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity. American leadership should be principled—that means working with allies, respecting domestic and international law, and advancing democracy and human dignity worldwide.
I will support a vibrant economy by investing in working people and long-term growth. That includes fighting for a fully government-funded healthcare option with no out-of-pocket costs, which lowers costs for families and employers, boosts productivity, and frees up money to spend and hire. I support raising wages, protecting the right to organize, and investing in infrastructure, clean energy, and domestic manufacturing. I also support modern immigration reform that streamlines legal pathways, reduces backlogs, and brings more people into the legal workforce—growing the tax base, filling labor shortages, and strengthening small businesses. A strong economy is one where growth is shared and sustainable.
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Qualifications
A. 1) BAJ - Drake University 2) MSJ - Northwestern University 3) MA - Northeastern Illinois University 4) PhD - University of London B. 1) President of a global management & marketing entity for over 30 years 2) Instructor in Geography at a major university 3) 1997-1999, Public Member, Illinois Banking and Real Estate Board 4) 2000-2009, Board of Director, Illinois International Port (chairman of 3 committees including Homeland Security)
Two immediate answers: 1) a strong voter identification system and 2) eliminate mail-in voters with exceptions for military and disabled
Further maximum restrictions of both individual contributions and PAC contributions. The later being the 'problem' of 'buying elections'. Any full enforcement of such.
To provide equitable and quality education for all children, a new high standard needs to be established to set the absolute bar that will create a path to a successful schooling. Of course, education at the public level needs to be readily available through the respective local school systems. And, to provide education for all, when parents choose parochial/private schooling then forms of reimbursement need to be introduced. This will also lessen the burden on overcrowding at public schools.
Each institutional requires an individual answer.
In my opinion, the United Nations has worked against the interests of the United States because many aspects are controlled by our adversaries. Our responsibility should be reconsidered based on our demand to be treated fairly.
NATO is a vital alliance for all its European and North American members. It's reasonable to expect both respective economic and logistical support.
Unfair practices can also be said for the International Court and other institutions including the World Health Organization. Fair and rightful membership in these organizations need to be exposed and monitored so as to position the United States as a global leader in non-partisan judgements.
First, I am a proponent of the President's economic plan. This includes tariffs that are beginning to show the positive results being seek. It's integral that the United States becomes an industrial nations again because agriculture and industry are the basis for a strong economy.
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