Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
The Trump administration is attacking our fundamental rights, upending the global economy, and terrorizing communities with armed militias. The economy is broken. Billionaires are using their immense wealth to buy politicians and influence the system in their favor. As a longtime community activist, legislator, and now as mayor, I bring my deep community connections to this race along with a determination to fight for what people need and take on entrenched special interests. I am the only candidate in this race who has effectively fought the Trump regime both in the streets as an activist and in government as mayor.
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 the district is affordability, especially health care, housing, child care, and other basic necessities. The affordability crisis is made worse by Trump’s tariffs, but the root cause is a few big companies now controlling our food, our health care, technology, consumer goods, and entertainment. Corporate consolidation causes higher prices for consumers, lowers wages for workers, crowds out local small businesses, and makes our economy less innovative. This consolidation isn’t happening by accident – it’s the result of deliberate choices that have been made by both Republicans and Democrats.
My first step to addressing this crisis is to roll back Trump’s health care cuts imposed by his ridiculous budget bill. I will also fight to lower housing and child care costs, take on price gougers, and incentivize more housing development, especially near transit. I will strongly support a national single-payer health system, such as Medicare for All, to provide universal coverage.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
One of the unique challenges facing the 9th District is the rising cost of housing on the north side of Chicago and across suburban Chicagoland. Housing prices continue to go up, making it harder for first time homebuyers to bid on limited housing stock and driving rents up across the board. I have fought for reforms in Evanston to increase housing affordability by updating our outdated zoning code to reflect our shared values, with the goal of making Evanston a place where anyone can afford to live. I’ll take that same mentality with me to Congress, where I’ll fight to increase investment in housing that all can afford, spur development especially near transit, and ending corporate price gouging that drives housing costs up.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
It’s time for a humane, forward-looking immigration policy. One that upholds human dignity, acknowledges America’s role in driving migration, and lives up to the promise of the American Dream. That means undoing the cruelty of the Trump era — but also going further: abolishing ICE, fixing our outdated visa system, honoring our promises to DREAMers, modernizing quotas, and cutting absurd wait times for legal entry. In Congress, I’ll fight for an immigration system grounded in decency, the rule of law, and common sense. I’ll pursue legislation that ensures access to legal representation, creates a real path to citizenship, respects asylum seekers, end Trump’s use of foreign prisons, and bans mass raids - including making schools, churches, health care facilities, and workplaces off limits.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
The Republican budget makes deep cuts to Medicaid, ACA premium support, and hospitals nationwide. Step one will be to reverse these damaging policies immediately so working people can access care, and hospitals can avoid closure. Next, Congress must put a check on corporate consolidation. A few giant companies now control our food, our health care, technology, consumer goods, and entertainment. Corporate consolidation causes higher prices for consumers, lowers wages for workers, crowds out local small businesses, and makes our economy less innovative. Finally, the health insurance system in our country is a mess. It’s expensive, impossible to navigate, and doesn’t lead to better health outcomes. Congress needs to pass Medicare for All and deliver the affordable health care people enjoy in nearly every other advanced democracy.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
We cannot sustain a society where the rich get richer, and everyone else falls further behind. Extreme inequality isn’t just an economic issue; it’s a threat to our democracy, our society, and to the American dream itself. My top priority is closing the wealth gap and making billionaires pay their fair share. My approach is to roll back the Trump tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and corporations, close loopholes that allow private equity execs and hedge fund managers to pay lower tax rates than working Americans, and tax capital gains and investment income at the same rate as wages for individuals making over $1 million a year. I support modest wealth tax on the assets of billionaires and ultra-millionaires to fund the priorities we all care about and strengthen programs that work like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Finally, Congress should reinstate and expand the IRS Direct File program so no one is charged outrageous fees for filing their taxes.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
I’m appalled by the unconstitutional actions of this president and his minions. We need basic restrictions on Trump’s federal overreach to limit his ability to act without Congress and to force him to abide by our laws. Congress must reestablish itself as a coequal branch of government, assert its control over tariffs and the distribution of federal funds, and strengthen statutory limitations on executive actions that forgo Congressional approval. Congressional oversight must be aggressive and in the best interest of the American people.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
For too long, our foreign policy has prioritized military action over diplomacy – and we have indulged in alliances that provide some short-term benefits over basic human rights. Trump is supercharging this dynamic, using American foreign policy for his own personal benefit, embarrassing America on the world stage, embracing dictators, and turning away from our allies.
If we want peace, we must work for justice. If we want security, we must invest in diplomacy. And if we want to lead, we must lead by example.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
Artificial Intelligence continues to upend our economy, our education system, and our world. If responsibly developed, AI has enormous potential to promote the common good and usher in a new era of American technological leadership. At the same time, it presents severe challenges on many fronts, from job loss to wealth concentration to disinformation to energy and water use to national security. Congress must develop a policy framework that promotes and champions America’s AI leadership and encourages responsible AI development to create good-paying jobs, protect the environment, keep kids safe, and ensure that AI promotes prosperity for the working class, not just the wealthy few.
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 influence of big money in politics is at the heart of almost every problem our country faces, including problems within the Democratic Party. It’s why Congress refuses to take on Big Pharma, break up corporate monopolies, or act faster on climate change. We need campaigns powered by the people – not billionaires and corporate special interests. Restoring trust in government starts with ensuring elected officials work for the people — not donors, lobbyists, or their own investment interests. In Congress, I will ban stock trading by members of Congress, pass the Government by the People Act, end gerrymandering, and stop racist voter suppression tactics.