Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am running for Congress to safeguard our families, reduce costs, and defend our democracy.
We are living at a time when many working families feel squeezed, many seniors feel overlooked, and many people believe the government is not serving them. Meanwhile, we are witnessing assaults on voting rights, truth, and the fundamental institutions that unify our country. To safeguard opportunity, we must also defend our democracy.
That begins with defending the programs people rely on. I will protect Medicare and expand Social Security, and I believe we must increase benefits rather than cut them. Seniors earned these benefits through a lifetime of work, and they deserve security and dignity.
We must also make childcare affordable, expand access to healthcare, protect SNAP benefits so families do not go hungry, and invest in more affordable housing for seniors and working families. We need stronger oversight of nursing homes, comprehensive gun safety laws, and action to stop the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.
And we must defend our democracy by protecting voting rights, respecting the rule of law, and ensuring the government answers to the people, not special interests or political extremism.
My mission is clear: reduce costs, safeguard families, build stronger communities, and defend the democracy that makes all of this possible. That is how I will fight every day in Congress.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Health care access and affordability are the most pressing issues facing families in the 7th Congressional District.
Seniors, working families, and small business owners are one illness away from financial hardship. People are losing health insurance or seeing their coverage reduced just when they need it most. Premiums, deductibles, and prescription drug costs keep rising. Small businesses want to provide benefits for their employees, but the cost is often unaffordable, forcing tough choices between staying open and offering coverage.
At the same time, our hospitals, clinics, and mental health providers are stretched thin and underfunded. When people delay care, small problems become emergencies, increasing costs and worsening the crisis.
As a State Representative, I have worked to expand access to care, strengthen community health services, protect seniors, and support working families. In Congress, I will defend and boost Social Security and Medicare, lower prescription drug prices, invest more federal funds in neighborhood clinics, and provide small businesses with tools and tax relief to make employee coverage affordable.
I will also defend and expand the Affordable Care Act and work to make healthcare accessible for everyone, because healthcare should never depend on your job, income, or ZIP code.
My fight is to ensure that no senior has to choose between medicine and groceries, no family should lose coverage, and no business should be priced out of caring for its workers. Healthy people and thriving communities lead to a stronger economy and a stronger district.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
One unique challenge facing the 7th Congressional District is the significant inequality that exists within just a few miles, where prosperous economic corridors sit next to neighborhoods struggling with disinvestment, hospital closures, housing instability, and limited access to jobs and healthcare.
Our district includes world-class institutions and growing businesses, but many West Side and near West Side communities have not shared in that growth. Families face higher unemployment, fewer grocery stores and pharmacies, under-resourced schools, aging infrastructure, and limited access to quality health care providers. Small businesses struggle to get capital, and too many young people lack clear pathways to good-paying careers.
This isn’t due to a lack of talent or work ethic. It’s a result of inadequate sustained federal investment.
As a State Representative, I have concentrated on channeling resources directly into communities by expanding childcare opportunities to facilitate parental employment, investing in education and vocational training, supporting the development of affordable housing, sealing records to provide individuals with second chances, and enhancing community health services.
In Congress, I will collaborate with the Illinois delegation to secure more federal funds for community health centers, workforce development, small business lending, infrastructure upgrades, and affordable housing. I will focus on union jobs, apprenticeships, and local hiring so residents directly benefit from those investments.
My goal is clear: every neighborhood in this district deserves equal chances to be safe, healthy, and economically thriving. No community should be left behind.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Federal immigration reform needs to be humane, fair, and practical. It should keep families together, bolster our workforce, and mirror America’s values as a nation built by immigrants.
Currently, the system is broken. Families live in fear of separation, asylum cases take years, and businesses struggle to fill jobs because our immigration laws haven’t kept pace with economic realities. Instead of chaos and political division, we need common-sense solutions.
Reform should include a path to citizenship for longtime residents, Dreamers, and essential workers, expanded legal work visas, faster and fairer asylum processing, and smart border management that focuses on real threats, not hardworking families.
As a State Representative, I have supported Dreamers and immigrant families. I have voted to include them in our mainstream workforce and expand access to education and opportunity because I believe that when people can work, learn, and contribute legally, our entire community benefits. I know this fight, and I will carry that same commitment to Congress.
In my district, immigrants are small business owners, health care workers, union members, and students. They are not strangers; they are our neighbors.
My goal is simple: protect families, strengthen our economy, respect the rule of law, and create a pathway to opportunity for those who are already contributing to America each day.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
Congress must finally oppose the pharmaceutical and insurance industries and prioritize patients over profits.
Right now, families, seniors, and small businesses are bearing the burden while drug companies and insurance firms record huge profits. Prescription costs are soaring, premiums keep climbing, and too many people are forced to ration medication or delay care. That is unacceptable in the wealthiest nation in the world.
We need to bring pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers to the table and pass laws that prioritize affordability. Congress should expand Medicare’s authority to negotiate drug prices, cap insulin and other essential medications, increase transparency in pricing, and crack down on price gouging. We must also cut administrative waste and remove insurance barriers that raise costs without improving care.
As a State Representative, I have worked to increase access to care and defend working families. In Congress, I will safeguard and expand the Affordable Care Act, bolster Medicare and Medicaid, and advocate for real healthcare reform that aims for universal coverage.
The fight is clear: profits must no longer threaten the health of our nation. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. It’s time to implement reforms that provide quality, affordable care to every American.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
My approach to tax policy begins with one principle: we must reduce the tax burden on working families and small businesses, not big corporations.
Small businesses form the backbone of our communities. They create local jobs, sponsor youth programs, keep neighborhoods lively, and reinvest where they operate. But too often, they are taxed and regulated like large corporations, while multinational companies exploit loopholes and special breaks to dodge paying their fair share.
We have seen the consequences of tax policies that favor the wealthy. During the last administration, large corporations received huge tax breaks, while small businesses and working families saw minimal relief. That is unfair, and it does not help grow local economies.
As a State Representative, I fought to make life more affordable, including reducing the grocery tax. In Congress, my main focus will be lowering taxes for everyday Americans and protecting small businesses from excessive taxes. I support targeted tax relief for small employers, incentives to help them offer health insurance and good wages, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and closing corporate loopholes that favor wealth over hard work.
Tax policy should reward individuals who work hard and invest in their communities, not corporations that prioritize maximizing profits and shipping jobs overseas.
If we want vibrant neighborhoods, we must support the small businesses that keep them connected.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
Congress has a constitutional responsibility to provide serious, fact-based oversight of how taxpayer dollars are spent. Too often today, oversight has turned into political theater rather than genuine accountability.
The House should concentrate less on partisan investigations and more on safeguarding public funds and making government work better for people.
We need stronger oversight of government contracts, defense spending, and large federal programs where billions of dollars can be wasted through inefficiency, no-bid contracts, or corporate favoritism. The Pentagon has failed multiple audits, yet its budget continues to grow. Taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability, especially when we are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. Every dollar wasted there is a dollar not invested in health care, education, housing, or veterans’ services.
We also need stricter oversight of pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and federal contractors that profit from public funds. If a company receives taxpayer dollars, it should meet high standards for performance, fairness, and cost control.
At the same time, we should cut unnecessary red tape that delays small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments from delivering services. Oversight should focus on eliminating waste and abuse, not creating obstacles for those doing good work in our communities.
My approach is straightforward: follow the money, safeguard taxpayers, and ensure government prioritizes people over special interests. That’s the kind of responsible oversight I will fight for in Congress.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
The most urgent foreign policy challenge we face is defending America’s global leadership and democratic values in a world that is becoming more unstable.
We are dealing with wars abroad, rising tensions with major powers, threats to our allies, and supply chain disruptions that directly affect families here at home. But we also face a serious internal threat to our credibility on the world stage.
When leaders undermine democracy, attack our alliances, or treat foreign policy like a political stunt, it weakens America. Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach caused instability by alienating allies, praising authoritarian leaders, and prioritizing politics over national security. Such chaos makes our country less safe and less respected worldwide.
We need steady, principled leadership based on diplomacy, strong alliances, and accountability, not unpredictability.
The House plays a vital role because Congress controls funding and oversight. We must ensure transparency in defense spending, prevent wasteful contracts, support our troops and veterans, strengthen NATO and our democratic allies, and emphasize diplomacy to prevent conflicts before they occur. Military force should always be a last resort, not the first response.
My focus and mission are simple: protect American families, strengthen democracy both at home and abroad, and make sure our foreign policy aligns with our values rather than political ego. Strong leadership means stability, partnership, and peace whenever we can achieve it.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
Artificial intelligence will influence the future of our economy, education, health care, and national security. The question isn’t whether AI will expand, but whether it will benefit everyone or just a few large corporations and wealthy communities.
I believe the government has two responsibilities: to encourage innovation and to protect people.
First, we must lead globally. The United States cannot fall behind countries like China in AI development. Leadership in AI means leadership in jobs, security, and economic power. We should invest in research, workforce training, and partnerships with universities and small businesses to ensure America stays the world leader in technology.
Second, we must ensure AI benefits all communities, not just Silicon Valley. I have spoken and written about bringing technology and AI investment into neighborhoods that have been left behind. That includes training programs in public schools and community colleges, apprenticeships, and pathways into tech careers for working-class and minority communities so they become creators of this technology, not just consumers.
At the same time, we need intelligent guardrails. AI should be transparent, protect privacy, prevent discrimination, and be accountable to the public. We must safeguard workers from job displacement without support, eliminate biased algorithms, and ensure companies use AI responsibly, especially in health care, housing, hiring, and criminal justice.
My approach is straightforward: lead the world in innovation, safeguard workers and families, and ensure AI generates opportunity in every neighborhood, not just profits for a few corporations.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
I believe our party is strongest when it is a big tent that welcomes everyone and stands firmly for justice, opportunity, and working families.
We are the party that fights for health care, education, civil rights, labor protections, and economic fairness. We believe the government should help people live better lives. But we also have to be honest with ourselves. Too many voters feel disconnected from politics because they do not always hear us speaking directly to their everyday struggles, like the cost of groceries, rent, child care, and health care.
We need to shift our focus back to those basic community issues and connect with people where they are.
We also need to do a better job including the next generation. Young people are organizing, innovating, and demanding change, and they should not just be supporters. They should be leaders at the table. If we want a stronger future, we must actively include them in the fight.
At the same time, we need to bring together communities that are often talked about separately. Workers, seniors, small business owners, immigrants, and families all share the same fundamental needs: safety, opportunity, and affordability. Our message should be straightforward and clear: we are fighting for you.
While others resist change and division, we must lead with inclusion, truth, and solutions. That means listening more, showing up consistently, and delivering real results.
My belief is straightforward: when we focus on the needs of the people and include everyone in the movement, we win elections and create a stronger, fairer country.