Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I’m running because too many families feel like the American Dream is slipping away, and Washington keeps delivering for the well-connected while working people get stuck with higher costs and fewer choices. As a Cook County Commissioner, I’ve built a reputation as a results-driven pragmatic progressive who delivers for working families and marginalized communities, not special interests or corporate donors, and I want to bring that same approach to Congress. I’m running because I believe government should work for everyday people, and because our democracy and basic rights are on the line in this election.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Affordability, plain and simple, especially the “must-pay” costs that are squeezing families: housing, health care, child care, and everyday essentials. I’ll push aggressive action to lower prescription drug costs by expanding Medicare negotiation, capping price hikes, and cracking down on middlemen, while also expanding affordable child care and universal pre-K so families can work without going broke. Long-term, I’ll fight for a serious pro-housing agenda that increases supply, reduces rent and mortgage pressure, and speeds workforce housing near transit with smarter federal financing and infrastructure support.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
IL-08 is a diverse suburban district where people are feeling the double hit of high costs and aging infrastructure, with traffic choke points and transit gaps that waste time and money. My approach is to pair affordability policy with “build-it” capacity: sustained investment in roads, transit, rail, and safety, plus housing growth near job centers and transit so we reduce pressure on both commutes and rents. I’ll also focus on resilient infrastructure that can handle extreme weather and protect families, small businesses, and the local economy.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
We need an immigration system that is orderly, humane, and aligned with reality: modern legal pathways that meet labor needs while protecting wages and labor standards, plus timely, fair processing so the system isn’t defined by backlogs and chaos. That means stronger infrastructure at ports of entry, more immigration judges and asylum officers to move cases quickly with due process, and a real pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and long-term, otherwise law-abiding residents. And we must stop treating immigrants as political props: enforcement should be targeted at real threats, not families who are working, paying taxes, and contributing to our communities.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
Health care is a human right, and Congress has to act like it. We should lower costs now by expanding Medicare negotiation, capping prescription price hikes, and taking on the middlemen who inflate prices. We are the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee universal health coverage, which must change. I will support every step in the right direction that leads to affordable and accessible healthcare for all, just like I did by creating Cook County’s Department of Mental and Behavioral Health.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
My approach is pro-growth and pro-worker: reward work, not wealth extraction, and make sure the biggest corporations and the ultra-wealthy finally pay what they owe. My top priority is closing the loopholes and games that let powerful interests dodge taxes, then using that revenue to lower everyday costs and invest in housing, infrastructure, education, and health care. I support raising the corporate rate above 21% and exploring wealth taxation so we stop balancing budgets on the backs of working families.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
Too often, oversight becomes partisan theater instead of accountability that protects taxpayers and people’s rights. The House should do more rigorous, fact-driven oversight of corruption, contracting and procurement abuses, and any attempt to privatize or automate public services in ways that deny benefits or cut corners. We also need stronger oversight of corporate consolidation and price gouging that’s driving up costs for families, and less “gotcha” oversight that exists only to score cable-news points. Our kneecapped Congress has placed no oversight on the illegal actions of ICE Agents, and I would change that.
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 challenge is preventing a major-power conflict while keeping Americans safe and our economy resilient, especially in the Indo-Pacific. The House should play a central role by reasserting congressional authority over the use of force, funding deterrence and logistics capacity that actually sustains readiness, and investing in domestic industrial strength, including chips and critical supply chains. It should also provide serious oversight of tariffs and trade actions that function like hidden taxes on families and destabilize planning for American businesses.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
AI has real potential, but it can’t become a backdoor to layoffs, lower job quality, or “automated government” where life-changing decisions happen with zero accountability. I support strong federal rules for high-risk AI, transparency, and independent auditing, and I believe people must always have access to a real human review in benefits, hiring, and other critical decisions. We should set a clear national framework to avoid a chaotic patchwork, while still allowing states to protect people if Congress drags its feet.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
Democrats are at our best when we are the party that tangibly improves people’s lives, not just the party with the best critique of the other side. We should sharpen our focus on affordability, worker power, and democratic rights, and we should be more relentlessly pro-housing, pro-competition, and anti-corruption. I want a Democratic Party that couples big values with measurable delivery, and that earns trust by showing results in people’s paychecks, rents, and everyday stability. I am running because my constituents have been telling me for years that they want a new generation of leadership, and better messengers who actually understand and will fight for the issue impacting our working families.