Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am running because the Seventh District deserves a representative who understands our communities deeply and has a record of delivering results. Whether it is fighting for affordable housing, expanding access to healthcare, lowering childcare costs, protecting voting rights, or bringing federal resources home, I will always lead with compassion, accountability, and a commitment to justice. My life, my work, and my values are rooted right here, and I am ready to fight every day for the people who make this district extraordinary. My life has been shaped by the challenges and hopes of the 7th District. Growing up in Englewood and Austin, I saw how inequality and disinvestment affect families and entire neighborhoods. My mother’s union job taught me the dignity of work. When she, as a single mother, bought a home on the West Side to raise her three daughters in, it showed me the power of homeownership and financial stability.
Now, raising my own daughter in Garfield Park, the challenges this District faces aren’t abstract; we’re living them every day. That’s why I have dedicated my career to expanding economic stability, protecting working families, and fighting for fairness at every level of government.
As Chicago City Treasurer, serving during a period when the Trump administration repeatedly targeted cities like ours with funding cuts, I worked to strengthen our financial resilience. I expanded access to capital for small businesses, launched programs like Money Mondays and Building Wealth Today for Tomorrow, and pushed for investments that support working families rather than leaving them vulnerable to political decisions in Washington. When Trump sent ICE to invade our streets, I used the tools available to stand up to him and push back.
I also understand the realities many families face because I am the full time caretaker for my disabled sister, and I know how essential Medicaid, SNAP, and a strong social safety net are to survival and dignity. These issues are personal to me, not abstract policy debates.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
The most pressing problem in Illinois’ 7th is the affordability crisis – the squeeze families feel from housing costs, healthcare costs, and everyday expenses – and the instability it creates for working people who are doing everything right but still can’t get ahead. In the community I live in on the West Side and every community across the 7th, people are anxious about whether they can stay in their neighborhoods, care for loved ones, and build real financial security. As the daughter of a single mom on public assistance, now a working mom and caretaker for my sister with a disability, I’ve seen firsthand how our public servants can help families not only stay afloat, but get ahead. But right now, we have a president who is actively making things worse - raising taxes on working people, making everything more expensive with his tariffs, and cutting health care.
If elected, I’d fight Trump’s cost increases and would pursue a focused, practical cost-of-living agenda built around three steps. First, lower healthcare costs. I’ll fight to cut prescription drug prices, protect coverage, and strengthen programs like Medicare and Medicaid so families aren’t one illness away from bankruptcy. I know how quickly a health crisis becomes a financial crisis: I am the fulltime caretaker to my disabled sister, who relies on Medicaid to survive. Without my family’s help, she couldn’t afford to live independently.
Second, tackle housing affordability and grow household wealth. We need more housing people can afford – and real pathways to homeownership for first-time and first-generation buyers. When my mother bought our first home on the West Side, it gave me and my sisters a sense of financial stability for the first time. That’s why I’ll support expanding the supply of affordable units, strengthening renter protections, and creating down-payment and credit-building tools so working families can build equity instead of getting priced out.
Finally, raise incomes and reduce everyday costs. I’ll back tax policies that reward work, not wealth – expanding credits that help working families, investing in job training and apprenticeships, and supporting small businesses with access to capital so they can hire and grow. As Treasurer, financial empowerment and building generational wealth has been a core focus of mine; in Congress, I’ll continue that focus from a federal perspective. And I’ll oppose policies that raise prices on basic goods for working families.
In Congress, I’ll fight to pass a cost-of-living agenda that lowers healthcare and housing costs, protects Medicare, Medicaid, and nutrition assistance, and helps working families build real financial stability in every neighborhood of the 7th.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
The 7th District faces a uniquely stark economic divide — one of the sharpest in the country — where world‑class job centers, hospitals, and universities sit just miles from neighborhoods on the South and West Sides that have endured decades of disinvestment, food deserts, and some of the largest life‑expectancy gaps in Illinois.
That divide fuels the broader challenge residents talk about every day: affordability and economic stability. From Englewood to Old Town, Streeterville to Austin, people want to stay in their communities and know that when they work hard, they can raise their families, access high‑quality healthcare, and retire with dignity.
Our district is home to extraordinary talent and potential, yet too many people are being pushed out or left behind because the pathways to build real, lasting wealth aren’t evenly available. I’ve seen these challenges up close, and I’ve spent my career working to close those gaps.
Legislatively, I would focus on three pillars: affordability, accessible healthcare, and economic mobility. That means expanding federal investments in affordable housing, strengthening tenant protections, and supporting first‑generation homebuyers. It means expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription drug costs so families aren’t forced to choose between their health and their bills. And it means scaling the programs I built as Treasurer — financial literacy, access to capital for small businesses, and tools that help families build generational wealth.
When we stabilize housing, healthcare, and economic opportunity, we strengthen every neighborhood in the 7th District and create a foundation for long‑term prosperity.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Donald Trump’s Operation “Midway Blitz” was a brazen attack on our city by the federal government. It was unconstitutional, inhumane, and unAmerican. His administration has only escalated its attack on our civil rights, particularly in Minneapolis.
When the federal government illegally and unethically uses its power to terrorize our residents, we have a responsibility to use every lawful tool available to push back. I support the continued existence of an agency that enforces immigration law and keeps our borders secure, but cannot support ICE as it exists under Donald Trump – a political weapon turned on cities like Chicago and entirely untethered from due process and real public-safety priorities.
I support an earned program for otherwise law-abiding, settled immigrants who contribute to our communities. That should start with protecting DREAMers, who grew up here, contribute to our communities, and deserve the certainty to build their lives without fear of deportation. Viable parameters should include criminal background checks, payment of taxes, and work authorization, followed by a structured path to permanent status and citizenship, alongside faster asylum processing and more immigration judges.
In Congress, I’ll use oversight and the power of the purse to stop taxpayer dollars from funding abusive enforcement, and I’ll pass an earned pathway to legal status, including permanent protections for DREAMers, that protects constitutional rights while keeping our communities safe.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
The most important issue in the 7th District is affordability and economic stability and health care costs are contributing factors to this crisis.
Our district is home to incredible talent and potential, but too many residents have limited access to healthcare. I’ve seen these challenges up close particularly across our neighborhoods in the South and West Sides, and I’ve spent my career working to close those gaps.
Legislatively, I would focus on accessible healthcare by expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription drug costs so families aren’t forced to choose between their health and their bills.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
We can’t continue to have a tax code where working families pay more than their fair share, while the very wealthy and big corporations get the breaks and use financial tricks to avoid ever paying what they owe. It’s simple: if you’re very wealthy, you should pay more than those who are not.
I know budgets down to the basis point because I manage Chicago’s investments, and I have worked with Wall Street to make sure our money is working for Chicago’s taxpayers. So when billionaires can borrow against skyrocketing assets to live tax-free – year after year – that is not a system that rewards work, it’s one that creates permanent “haves” and “have nots.”
A modest tax on extreme wealth and a tax on “borrow-to-avoid-tax” loans are both reasonable tools, if they’re carefully designed to apply only to the ultra-wealthy, include strong guardrails, and don’t hit small business owners.
My commitment is this: I’ll close loopholes, restore top rates to Obama-era levels, and support fair taxes on extreme wealth – including taxing gimmicks that let the richest Americans avoid paying their share – while cutting taxes for the middle class.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
Oversight is one of Congress’s most important responsibilities, but too often the House uses it as a political weapon instead of a tool to solve problems for working families. Oversight should be about protecting taxpayers, strengthening government performance, and ensuring that federal agencies are serving every community fairly.
Right now, we need more oversight in areas that directly affect people’s economic stability and civil rights. That includes ensuring federal agencies are not infringing on Americans’ constitutional rights, federal agencies enforcing fair housing laws, monitoring how healthcare dollars are spent, and holding financial institutions accountable when they engage in predatory practices. We also need stronger oversight of emerging technologies, including AI, to make sure innovation is paired with transparency, privacy protections, and guardrails that prevent discrimination.
At the same time, Congress should spend less time on performative investigations that don’t improve people’s lives. Endless hearings designed to score political points drain resources and distract from real issues like affordability, public safety, and economic mobility.
As someone who has managed public dollars and built programs focused on transparency and accountability, I believe oversight works best when it is focused on outcomes like safer communities for families, accessible services in communities, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars. When Congress focuses on these issues oversight becomes a powerful tool to strengthen trust in government and deliver real results for the people of the 7th District.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
China is one of the most complex foreign policy challenges we face, and our approach must be strategic, consistent, and grounded in protecting American workers and global stability. Under President Trump, we saw broad tariffs that raised costs without offering a long‑term economic strategy. We also saw inconsistent decisions around the sale of advanced AI chips by swinging between restrictions and permissions that created confusion for U.S. companies and weakened our leverage abroad. When our policies shift unpredictably, it undermines both our economic competitiveness and our national security.
On issues like Taiwan, the United States must maintain a clear and steady commitment to peace and deterrence. Sudden changes in tone or policy only heighten tensions and make it harder for our allies to rely on us. If elected to Congress, I would advocate for a strategy that strengthens our competitiveness at home while promoting stability abroad. That includes investing in American manufacturing, technology, and workforce development.
I would also support a coherent, long‑term framework for regulating advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. A framework that protects national security, gives businesses clarity, and prevents the kind of policy whiplash that has occurred in recent years. And I believe we must work closely with our allies to uphold international norms and ensure that human rights remain central to our foreign policy. My focus is on building a stable, forward‑looking strategy that protects American workers, reinforces our national security, and keeps diplomacy and coalition building at the heart of our approach.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
I believe that AI policy must be set at the federal level. When every state creates its own rules, we end up with a patchwork of regulations that confuses innovators, slows down investment, and leaves consumers unprotected. Clear national standards give businesses the certainty they need to build responsibly, and they ensure that safety, security, and ethical protections are applied evenly across the country.
As someone who has championed transparency and strong guardrails as Chicago’s Treasurer, I believe federal leadership is essential to making sure AI expands opportunity rather than deepening inequality. A unified federal framework allows us to protect consumers, prevent bias, and hold companies accountable while still encouraging innovation and keeping the United States competitive on the global stage.
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 its best when it is expanding opportunity, protecting fundamental rights, and delivering real results for working families. We’ve made meaningful progress on those fronts, but we also have work to do to rebuild trust, especially in communities that have too often felt overlooked or taken for granted.
In our communities we want a Democratic Party that is disciplined, forward‑looking, and rooted in the everyday realities of affordability, safety, and economic mobility. They want leaders who listen, who show up, and who are willing to bridge divides to get things done. That’s the standard I hold myself to, and it’s the direction I believe our party must continue to move toward.
I believe we need a stronger, clearer economic message that speaks directly to families who are being priced out of their neighborhoods and squeezed by rising costs. We also need a deeper commitment to governing with transparency and accountability so people can see their tax dollars working for them.
At the end of the day, our party succeeds when it stays grounded in the lived experiences of the people we serve. If we lead with equity, competence, and a clear vision for economic stability, we can meet this moment and deliver meaningful change for communities across the 7th District.