About the Candidate
Name: Jeanne Ives
DOB: Oct. 4, 1964
Occupation: Candidate for Congress (IL-06)
Political Experience: State Representative (2012-2018); Wheaton City Council (2011-2012), Republican Precinct Committeewoman (2004-Present)
Website: JeanneForCongress.com
Twitter: @JeanneIves
Candidate Statement
In my life, I have never seen the country more unsettled. This election decides the direction of our nation: do you want more freedom or more government?
I am Jeanne Ives. I'm a West Point Grad, a mother of five, and a military mom. When I look at the issues facing our nation, I know the solution lies in defending individual rights and equal protection under the law. For decades, we have come together in our local communities to create vibrant places to raise a family and grow business. The people of the Sixth District are natural problem-solvers with a generous spirit. We have seen how big government policies in Illinois have eroded our competitiveness and hurt our quality of life.
Now, at the federal level, big government policies pose an even greater threat to our freedom. My opponent believes the government has all the answers.
When Sean Casten looks at the challenges facing our nation, he believes more government control and higher taxes are the solution. He has proposed increasing federal and state income taxes and social security taxes. His plans for more government involvement in our energy, healthcare, and education sectors would destroy our energy independence, end the private health insurance you get from work, and create more mandates on our local schools. He doesn't trust you to make decisions for your life.
In contrast, I have a long track-record as a state legislator standing up to both parties against higher taxes, unnecessary regulation, and corruption. I stood with the people I represented. I worked across the aisle on issues like health care access. And I took on corruption wherever I saw it.
We have big challenges ahead. Job number one is to restore law and order. We all deserve to live in safe communities. We need to get our kids back in school and get our economy growing again, while still taking care of our most vulnerable citizens.
Americans can do it without the big government doing it for us.
I am Jeanne Ives, I stand on the side of freedom. I will stand up for you in Congress. And I am asking for your vote.
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
The 2020 election will decide the direction of our nation for decades to come. The choice is simple: do you want more freedom in your life or more government?
I served for six years as a state legislator in Springfield. I know just how much power elected officials have. I have seen the enormous influence special interests, lobbyists and party leaders have. That’s why I understand the importance of having someone in office who is truly an advocate for the common man and woman.
I want my children and their generations to know the blessings of liberty and have the opportunities my generation had. Those opportunities come from preserving our free enterprise system and our constitutional rights, not from an ever-increasing government .
Voters should know that my opponent, Sean Casten’s singular focus in Washington has been advancing legislation full of the subsidies and tax carve-outs that made him and his family millions off the 2008 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In numerous public statements, Sean Casten has driven home the idea that he believes he is better suited to make decisions concerning your life than you are, by characterizing those who don’t share his views - like environmental expert Michael Shellenberger - as low-lifes not worthy of his time.
I have always stood on the side of more freedom. I have a deep confidence that the people of the Sixth District can make better decisions for their families, businesses and communities than Sean Casten can. I have a long track-record as a state legislator of standing up for my constituents, and against over-burdensome government control. Whether the issue was taxes, unnecessary regulations, government transparency, or corruption, I stood with my district. I will do the same in Congress.
What is your vision for this office?
My vision for this office is to bring the 6th District’s voice to Washington, unlike Sean Casten, who has spent his tenure in Congress pushing his own agenda on the people he is supposed to represent. Including pushing for more of the subsidies that made him rich in 2008.
That is the fundamental difference between us. When I look at the issues facing our nation, I see the people in the Sixth District as the solution to those problems. They are among the most enterprising people in the world: natural problem-solvers, with an incredibly generous spirit. I know it is their values, their independence and entrepreneurship, and their willingness to work hard to build a good life for your family that will be key to unraveling some of the most difficult economic and social issues that we are facing.
As a State Rep I stood up for my constituents on taxes, municipal regulations, health insurance reform, government transparency, education reform and labor reform.
My opponent on the other hand looks at the problems we have and believes another government program and more taxes will solve what ails America. Instead of working across the aisle te get things done, he talks about people he disagrees with disparagingly calling his GOP Colleagues in the House Nazi Sympathizers, saying an environmental expert he disagrees with isn’t “worth his time to question, and calling a combat veteran and Congressman a racist.
I have lived in the Sixth District for 28 years. I know the people in this area. They are perfectly capable of making their own decisions - from the best school for their children to which cough syrup works best for them.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
It is time to get America back on track. Job number one is to restore Law and Order and civility around our nation. Our police have become targets of violence and ordinary citizens find themselves harassed while eating a meal. It all must stop. We can reform policing while respecting law enforcement. We need to get our kids back in school and our economy growing again while still protecting our most vulnerable citizens.
Law and order are mostly the responsibility of state and local government. I will support federal programs that incentivize local government to enforce our laws, reform police training, and use federal assets to go after gang activity and corruption.
On the economic front I will work in Congress to fight tax increases that kill jobs in our communities. I also am proposing five specific measures to keep our economy on track as we fight back against COVID:
1. Payroll tax holiday that immediately helps both employers and employees.
2. Putting job training in the hands of employers by providing tax credits for training;
3. Expanded Opportunity Zone programs that show success in blighted communities and pass audits;
4. Repatriate manufacturing to the United States from China;
5. Promote American energy independence.
