Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I’m running to rebuild power for working families and to make government work for people who have been ignored. Growing up in Back of the Yards and Englewood and losing my friend to violence showed me how systems fail our neighborhoods. As a union organizer and SEIU leader I’ve delivered wins on healthcare, wages, and community safety. I will bring that organizing experience to Congress to fight corporate influence, expand healthcare, create good union jobs, and hold institutions accountable so our communities have dignity, safety, and opportunity.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Healthcare is the most urgent issue because without affordable, accessible care families cannot thrive, but saving our democracy is the essential precondition to achieving it. I will fight for Medicare for All as the long-term goal while protecting and expanding Medicaid and the ACA now, lowering prescription drug costs, and expanding community-based care. Simultaneously I will take on dark money and corporate influence, pushing campaign finance reform, banning corporate PAC money, strengthening voting rights, and organizing voters because we cannot pass and defend bold healthcare change without a healthy democracy.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
Persistent disinvestment, violence, and economic exclusion on the South and West Sides leave residents with fewer jobs, services, and safe spaces. I’ll address this by investing in community-led violence intervention and trauma services, building good union jobs through targeted infrastructure and green investments, expanding affordable housing and tenant protections, and ensuring federal dollars for transit, parks, and workforce pipelines are tied to local hiring and labor standards.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Comprehensive reform that secures borders humanely while creating a clear, humane pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents. Reform must include labor protections, an end to for‑profit detention, guaranteed legal counsel in immigration proceedings, expanded refugee and humanitarian pathways, and modernization of visas for family unity and work. Policies should prioritize due process, keep families together, and protect workers’ rights.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
Tackle costs on multiple fronts: authorize Medicare negotiation for drugs and cap out‑of‑pocket costs; expand Medicaid and ACA subsidies; push toward a public option and Medicare for All as the long-term solution; regulate prices and end patent abuses that keep drug prices high; invest in community health and preventive care; and protect and expand home- and community-based services. Pair policy with efforts to curb corporate capture of health policy and ensure public dollars serve patients, not profits.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
My priority is fairness and funding investments that lift working families. I oppose tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. I would close loopholes, repeal fossil fuel subsidies and unjustified corporate tax breaks, and enact a minimum tax on extreme fortunes. Savings would fund healthcare, childcare, housing, and climate jobs. Tax policy should shift power and resources toward workers, not billionaires.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
Oversight must be principled and bipartisan where possible, focused on protecting public interest rather than political theater. We need stronger oversight on corporate influence in government, regulatory capture, Pentagon spending transparency, and implementation of social programs (Medicaid, housing) to prevent waste and protect beneficiaries. Less oversight should be wasted spectacle investigations that distract from delivering services; more should be rigorous audits of federal contracting, lobbying influence, and the use of emergency powers.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
The risk of unchecked military escalation and erosion of congressional war powers is the most pressing issue. The House must reclaim its constitutional role: insist on clear objectives, robust oversight, and limits on open‑ended authorizations. Prioritize diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and multilateral solutions, condition military assistance on human‑rights protections, and ensure accountability for civilian harm. Congress should also fund smart, transparent aid that addresses root causes like instability and displacement.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
AI offers enormous potential but also real risks to privacy, civil rights, labor, and democratic discourse. The federal government must set strong guardrails: require transparency and independent audits for high‑risk systems, enforce civil‑rights and consumer protections, mandate impact assessments, and create enforcement mechanisms with meaningful penalties. Fund research into bias and safety, support worker transition and retraining programs, and protect against surveillance misuse. Regulation should center people’s rights and public interest.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
The party needs to recommit to working‑class communities and be bolder on material change. Too often we accommodate corporate influence and prioritize incrementalism. I want the party to center workers and organized labor, embrace strong democracy reforms, run candidates who reflect diverse lived experience, and campaign on a concrete pro‑worker, pro‑healthcare, pro‑housing agenda. That means honest accountability for past failures, deeper grassroots engagement in changing neighborhoods, and a willingness to fight for transformative policy rather than cautious compromise.