Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I’m running because our district deserves representation that reflects its people and fights for a future where everyone can thrive. As a first-generation American and Gen Z leader raised in Skokie, I’ve lived the consequences of policy decisions made far away from the communities they affect. I’ve seen how accessible healthcare, fair wages, strong public schools, and humane immigration policy can change lives, and I’ve also seen the damage caused when government fails to act For the past seven years, I’ve served as an elected school board member, and for over a decade I’ve worked in the nonprofit sector. That experience taught me how federal decisions shape local realities, from rising rents and student debt to underfunded schools and families forced to choose between groceries and healthcare. IL-9 has one of the widest income gaps in the country. Bridging that gap requires leadership willing to confront corporate power, reject billionaire influence, and deliver results for working people. I’m running to bring bold, accountable leadership to Congress. Our district needs a representative who will fight for affordable housing, climate action, equitable education, and healthcare as a human right, not tax breaks for billionaires or policies that deepen inequality. This seat should not be bought by special interests or corporate PACs. I’ve lived, worked, and served across this district my entire life. I know its challenges, and I know its potential. I’m running to ensure federal policy finally works for the families, workers, small businesses, and communities who make IL-9 home.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Unaffordability is the most pressing issue facing Illinois’ 9th District, and addressing it requires both structural reform and hands-on advocacy. Families here are being squeezed by rising rents, higher grocery prices, student loan debt, medical bills, and property taxes, all while wages lag behind costs. This is not accidental. It is the result of policy choices. In Congress, I will fight to reverse those choices. That means repealing tariffs that function as a tax on working families, cracking down on corporate price gouging, and passing progressive tax reforms so billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. I will raise wages by protecting the right to unionize and supporting labor standards that allow workers to keep up with the cost of living. I will also push to ban hedge funds from monopolizing housing and invest in affordable housing construction so families are not priced out of their own communities. Healthcare costs are a major driver of unaffordability. I will protect and expand Medicaid and Medicare, cap prescription drug prices, and advance a strong public option as an immediate step toward Medicare for All. No one should skip care or go into debt because they got sick. Finally, I will run a congressional office that delivers for constituents. That means aggressive constituent services, multilingual support, and regular in-district hours so people can get help navigating federal programs. I learned on the school board that policy only matters if people can access it. In Congress, I will fight for affordability nationally while making sure my constituents feel the impact locally.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
One unique challenge in Illinois’ 9th District is its extreme economic diversity across a wide geographic footprint. Because of how the district is drawn, it includes some of the wealthiest communities in the country alongside families facing real poverty and housing insecurity. The income gap here is among the largest in the nation. Representing this district requires understanding both realities and making sure no community is overlooked. I plan to address this by running a highly accessible, service-oriented congressional office. I will maintain multiple district office locations, hold regular in-district hours, and conduct mobile office days at libraries, community centers, and faith institutions so services reach people where they are. My office will provide comprehensive constituent services including help with Social Security, Medicare, immigration cases, veterans’ benefits, student loans, housing assistance, and disaster relief. Materials and casework will be available in the most widely spoken languages in the district. I will also pursue federal funding for local schools, transit, housing, and small businesses so every part of the district sees investment. As a school board member, I worked with colleagues and community partners to expand participation, protect immigrant families, and reduce barriers to student support. In Congress, I will bring that same collaborative approach at scale: lowering costs, closing gaps between communities, and ensuring government shows up for every neighborhood in IL-9.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Protecting national security and building a humane immigration system are not competing goals. We can do both. Federal immigration reform must be grounded in dignity, due process, and the recognition that immigrants are essential to our communities and economy. I support comprehensive immigration reform that creates a broad, permanent pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, fully protects DACA recipients, and ends the constant fear facing visa holders and mixed-status families. People who were brought here as children should not have their lives dictated by political whims. Congress must pass the DREAM Act and provide certainty for families in Illinois’ 9th District and across the country. Our current enforcement system is broken beyond repair. ICE has become an agency defined by secrecy, abuse, and fear, not public safety. I support abolishing ICE and replacing it with a humane, civilian immigration system rooted in due process, transparency, and constitutional limits. Immigration enforcement should never resemble militarization or collective punishment. A functioning system also requires real due process. That means ending mass raids, expanding access to legal counsel, and dramatically increasing the number of immigration judges and court staff so cases are heard fairly and promptly. The backlog is the result of congressional neglect, not immigrant wrongdoing. We should redirect resources away from detention and toward community-based alternatives that are more humane, more effective, and far less costly. Order does not come from cruelty. It comes from a lawful, efficient system that reflects our values and treats people as human beings, not threats.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
Congress must treat healthcare affordability as an urgent cost-of-living issue. Families in my district are paying more for premiums, prescriptions, and basic care while wages lag behind. No one should skip treatment or carry medical debt because they got sick. First, Congress must renew and make permanent the enhanced ACA subsidies that millions rely on. Letting them expire would trigger premium spikes and push working families off coverage. That should be a bipartisan priority. We must also protect coverage for pre-existing conditions and incentivize Medicaid expansion in every state so low-income families are not left behind. Next, we need immediate cost relief. I support empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices, capping insulin and essential medications, limiting out-of-pocket costs, and cracking down on price-gouging by insurers and hospital systems. I will also push for a robust public option available to everyone. A public option would lower premiums through competition and provide a stable alternative for people who are uninsured, underinsured, or tied to employer plans they cannot afford. Ultimately, I support Medicare for All. Every other advanced democracy guarantees universal coverage at a lower cost. A universal system would simplify our fragmented model, reduce administrative waste, and ensure care is based on need, not employment or income. Healthcare is not a privilege. Congress has a responsibility to make it affordable and accessible for everyone.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
My top priority on tax policy is simple: make the system fair and use it to lower everyday costs for working families. I will start by repealing Trump-era tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy and large corporations and replacing them with a progressive system that reflects shared responsibility. That means higher corporate rates, a wealth tax on the richest households, a billionaire minimum income tax, a financial transaction tax on Wall Street, and strong enforcement against tax evasion. I also support efforts to rein in runaway executive compensation. These reforms are not abstract. Tax policy determines whether families can afford rent, groceries, healthcare, and education. Right now, working people are overburdened while extreme wealth concentrates at the top. I support a means-based approach that ensures middle-class homeowners and small businesses are not carrying a disproportionate share while billionaires exploit loopholes. Revenues from a fairer system should be reinvested to lower costs and strengthen public goods: affordable housing, healthcare access, public transit, and education. I will also challenge and repeal broad, inflation-driving tariffs that function as hidden taxes on consumers and farmers while bypassing Congress’s constitutional authority over taxation and trade. Tax and trade policy should work together to build an economy where people can stay housed, fed, and financially secure. My focus in Congress will be shifting the burden off working families and making sure the wealthiest pay their fair share.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
No. Congress is not using its oversight powers the way it should. The Constitution gives Congress a clear responsibility to check corruption, expose abuse, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used lawfully. Oversight is not optional. It is one of the most important tools Congress has, and right now it is being underused in the face of serious executive overreach. Congressional investigations are essential for transparency and accountability. They can expose unlawful layoffs across critical federal agencies, abusive immigration enforcement practices, conflicts of interest, and the misuse of executive authority. When used properly, oversight protects democracy and ensures that government serves the public, not political allies or private profit. In Congress, I would prioritize aggressive, fact-based oversight in several areas: financial conflicts of interest involving senior officials, the economic impact of tariff and trade decisions on American families and farmers, the use of federal funds and contracts, and reported human rights violations within immigration detention and enforcement systems. Oversight must also examine how executive actions affect workers, public services, and constitutional checks and balances. The goal is not spectacle. It is accountability. Congress has the power to investigate, subpoena, and legislate based on findings. I will use that authority to expose wrongdoing, protect constituents, and ensure that no administration operates above the law.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
The most pressing foreign policy issue right now is the erosion of congressional authority over war, military aid, and foreign intervention. When the executive branch can launch strikes, fund wars, and escalate conflicts without real congressional approval, we are no longer operating within the constitutional balance that protects our democracy or global stability. The House must reclaim its role. U.S. foreign policy must be grounded in international law, human life, and democratic accountability. That means supporting diplomacy first, ensuring aid aligns with human rights standards, and ending blank checks for military campaigns that fuel mass civilian harm. In Israel and Palestine, the United States continues to send billions in weapons despite credible reports of genocide and widespread human rights violations. The Leahy Law already requires that military aid be conditioned when violations occur. Congress must enforce that law, demand transparency, and use the power of the purse to stop funding abuses. At the same time, the United States should stand with people defending their sovereignty against aggression, including in Ukraine, while prioritizing multilateral diplomacy to end wars and prevent escalation. But none of this can be effective if Congress continues to sideline itself. The House must reclaim its constitutional role in foreign policy. That means repealing the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force, enforcing the power of the purse, and holding hearings when administrations bypass Congress or launch strikes without authorization. When a president bombs another country without a vote or carries out unilateral regime-change operations, those are not minor actions. They are acts of war and potential impeachable offenses. The House must assert its authority again so decisions about war, peace, and aid reflect the will of the American people, not the unilateral decisions of one administration.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
Artificial intelligence is advancing at a breathtaking pace, largely without public consent or meaningful guardrails. Across the Great Lakes region, data centers are being built to power AI systems that consume enormous amounts of energy and fresh water. Communities like mine bear the environmental and infrastructure costs while corporations capture the profits. People are also being drawn into AI systems by default, with their data collected simply for participating in modern life. Congress cannot allow this to remain a corporate free-for-all. The government has a clear role to play. First, we need transparency and environmental accountability. I support reintroducing the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act to study AI’s full lifecycle footprint and require companies to disclose water and energy use. The public deserves to know how these systems affect our climate, utilities, and natural resources, especially in regions that rely on freshwater systems like the Great Lakes. Second, we need strong consumer and worker protections. AI should not be used to enable price-gouging, exploit creative workers, or displace employees without safeguards. Congress must establish rules on data privacy, algorithmic transparency, and fair labor standards so innovation does not come at the expense of human dignity or economic stability. AI can be a powerful tool, but it must serve the public. Regulation should ensure that technological progress benefits workers, communities, and the environment, not just corporate bottom lines.
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 Democratic Party is at an inflection point. At a moment when our opponents are handing out tax breaks to billionaires, empowering polluters, laying off essential federal workers, demonizing immigrants, discrediting journalists, allowing artificial intelligence to go unregulated, and spending billions to support human rights abuses in Palestine, Democrats have a clear responsibility. We must stand in the way of harm and put forward a bold, future-focused agenda that materially improves people’s lives. That means being unapologetic about our values. Democrats should not sound timid or defensive about policies that most Americans already agree with. People want good schools, affordable healthcare, safe neighborhoods, dignified jobs, and a real shot at a better future for their families. Our party’s role is to meet that demand with clarity, courage, and solutions that address the cost of living, economic inequality, climate change, and threats to democracy. It also requires a shift in how we govern. The job of a Democrat in the U.S. House is not to chase viral moments or trade insults online. It is to legislate, oversee the executive branch, and deliver results. Effective representation starts with listening to constituents, understanding the pressures they face, and working relentlessly to turn those needs into policy. As a member of Congress, my focus would be on action, not performance. Conflict is inevitable in politics, but it should be channeled into serious debate and durable solutions. That is how trust is rebuilt and how meaningful change is made.