2022 Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

I’m running for Congress in the new 6th District because as our economy recovers, we need someone who does the work. Earlier this year, Axios called me the 3rd most active freshman in Congress. I have already passed five pieces of bipartisan legislation to boost local small businesses, bring jobs to the Southwest Side and suburbs, improve our aging public transit and rail freight systems — and I’m nowhere near being done.

A critical part of this job calls for doing the work on the ground, tackling hyper-local issues to keep our communities safe and our neighbors cared for. I’ve worked in close collaboration with local, state, and county officials in our district to solve complex flooding problems, train delays, and postal issues.

We need someone with a plan to address the big issues that will affect future generations while also tackling the issues that affect our lives each day — not just someone who talks a big game.

To drive innovation and invest in our people, we need to pass big and bold legislation that will rebuild our infrastructure and combat climate change with green and sustainable technologies, create good-paying union jobs, deliver quality, affordable, and universal healthcare to all, and lower taxes by establishing new programs that keep more money in everyone’s pockets.

What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?

I take the word "representative" extremely seriously, and every day I've been fighting in Congress for my constituents. When other members of Congress do the same, we are able to produce incredible results. I've worked across the aisle on legislation to expand access to capital so small businesses can open and thrive in our communities and to secure funding for major public transit agencies to mitigate accessibility gaps and plan for an inclusive future. Together with Republican colleagues, I introduced legislation to boost opportunities for women- and minority-owned small businesses. I’ve also led legislation to fund clean energy and climate mitigation projects, and to pave the way forward to a clean energy future.

Yet, there are far too many obstacles in Congress that slow the process of passing transformative legislation. One of the biggest roadblocks to effective legislating is corporate money. Regardless of how necessary the policy may be, certain colleagues of mine will refuse to support popular and transformative legislation because it hurts the corporations and ultra-rich executives that bankroll their campaigns. I do not and never will accept corporate contributions to my campaign because I want to be accountable to one group and one group alone - my constituents.

Until we overturn Citizens United and end the influence of corporate money in politics, corporate Democrats will continue to preserve the status quo that keeps the ultra-rich at the top, and leaves working families and the middle class behind.

What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?

The rising cost of living and growing inequality is of top concern to me and my neighbors across the 6th District. As a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I've worked closely with my colleagues to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top.

We have a system that largely benefits the top earners, while the rest of us struggle to pay for rent, student loans, groceries, child care, health care, and more. I believe we need to do much more to raise wages and support the middle class, and if I am reelected to serve the people of the new 6th District, I will continue fighting to build an economy that works for everyone by fighting for policies that put middle-class families over corporate special interests.

We can raise wages, strengthen workers bargaining power, and create safer working conditions by strengthening organized labor. When unions are strong, they uplift wages for everyone, including non-union workers. To get there, we have a bold vision for growing union presence and membership in communities across the Sixth District. I am a proud original co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would be the biggest expansion in collective bargaining in decades.

We also need to embrace the idea that growing our economy and stopping climate change are not mutually exclusive pursuits. I support advancing the Thrive Agenda, a comprehensive action plan for addressing climate change and inequality by creating a green economy built by good paying union jobs.I plan to work closely alongside organized labor and American manufacturers to make sure that their members have all the skills they need to thrive and to lead our country to a green energy and green infrastructure future. I was proud to pass my legislation, the Rail Center for Excellence Bill, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will establish a center at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to study high-speed rail and green technologies, which will innovate our transportation systems and create hundreds of jobs.

One of the greatest contributors to growing inequity in America is our broken health care system. I believe the best way to address the rising costs of health care, and to give American families a path to financial freedom, is to enact universal health care through Medicare for All. Adopting Medicare for All and rolling it out in stages will greatly reduce the cost of health care not only for families by removing costs like doctor visits, ambulance trips, blood tests, and completely covering vision, dental, long-term care, and prescription drugs as well. These costs are paid for by ensuring everyone in the country pays their taxes, raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy, and appropriating federal funds to ensure the process is administered smoothly.

As a former management consultant and small business owner, I advocate for enacting this policy in phases so that it can be implemented in a measured fashion over time, Starting with our most vulnerable populations and people over 55 years of age. This initial rollout will allow us to test, refine, and roll out further.

In addition to fixing our broken healthcare system, we need to make it easier for families to raise their children. I am a strong advocate for paid family leave and a universal child care system for children 0-5 and afterschool programs with sliding scale and affordable pricing. For these reasons, I was an outspoken proponent of the Build Back Better Act, which passed the House, which would make it easier for families to get ahead.

Through addressing all these pieces together, we can finally get to an economy that supports everyone, not just those at the very top.

What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?

Throughout my first term, I have expanded constituent services across all parts of the district. During the pandemic, my office hosted outdoor town halls from the Southwest Side throughout the suburbs, and we continue to do both in-person and virtual town halls now. I've expanded office hours and developed mobile constituent services in various parts of my current district, and it's allowed my staff to help hundreds of constituents on immigration, Social Security, veterans affairs, small business loans, and so much more.