Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I believe in an America where everyone who works hard can afford the essentials, where health care is driven by medicine, not politics and where the long march toward equality, in its many forms, moves forward, not backwards. Building upon the good, being part of change for the better, is in my blood and bones.
I grew up in Chicago, raised a family in the south suburbs and come from a long line of educators, military service members and union workers. Elected office has been another avenue for carrying out that legacy. As a Cook County Commissioner since 2018, I have indeed represented the aspirations and concerns of my constituents, particularly in health care for underserved communities.
I have secured millions for reproductive health care, delivered medical debt relief to hundreds of thousands of residents, sponsored over $100 million in sustainability and renewable energy investments, steered millions of dollars to violence prevention and restorative justice and expanded funding and services for local veterans.
Today, Washington is tearing up so much of our progress for working families and giving tax breaks to billionaires. Powerful interests have invested in autocratic means to dismantle our democracy – from attacking equitable voting and legitimate elections, to unleashing militaristic forces against those exercising their fundamental rights to speak or report what they see. I refuse to let them succeed.
I’m running for Congress because I feel duty bound to protect decades of nearly universally sanctioned legislation, programs, processes and government resources designed to give everyone the chance to contribute to the Great American Experiment.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
The southern region has suffered from decades of well-documented government neglect. As a result, its families have been paying the second-highest property tax rates in the nation and among the highest in the state – a significant inhibitor to addressing my key priorities related to health care, affordability and seniors. Underdeveloped communities have protested increases in double and even triple digits -- up to 133% -- while corporate downtown Chicago properties saw nearly 40% reductions.
These taxation inequities have had a devastating impact on both low-moderate income individuals and municipalities in education, housing, business development and living-wage employment. This is compounded by federal funding cuts expressly designed to shift even more of the burden to local entities with the least capacity to meet or improve upon decent living standards.
Huge problems demand huge solutions. The most obvious, long-standing remediation is my district’s South Suburban Airport, which is 90% ready for takeoff. Aviation Week magazine recently referred to SSA as “transformational” in its potential as an economic engine within and far beyond the district. A comparable indicator is Forth Worth Alliance Airport, which officially opened in 1989 and in 2024 alone produced $4.2 billion in property taxes paid to local entities.
I will continue to work with my district advocates, like South Suburban Action Coalition, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation, Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, who believe that property tax reform is the biggest problem and SSA the best solution.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
As alluded to above, the 2nd Congressional District has been uniquely positioned for over 30 years to address decades of neglect, with completion of the South Suburban Airport. SSA would anchor a transportation hub for national commerce via Route 30 from east coast to west and north to south, be the driver to connect transportation from downtown Chicago, past I-80, all the way to the south suburbs.
Aviation Week magazine recent reported, “in 2025 many of the world’s leading aviation and energy companies eagerly expressed willingness” to become involved with America’s newest, first net-zero carbon airport. “The primary obstacle to [SSA] progress hasn’t been market demand, funding or technical feasibility—but political hesitation and inconsistent state-level commitment, despite longstanding inclusion of SSA in regional and federal aviation planning frameworks.”
The district hosts several other major economic engines, such as the $20 billion Psi Quantum computing campus and two of the state’s newest of nearly 15 Amazon fulfillment and sortation centers. All could benefit from commuter rail extensions and highway development funded by Illinois’ six-year $50.6 billion infrastructure plan, with about $15.8 billion from federal support.
The Trump Administration has already withheld, put restrictions on or made threats to funding earmarked for such projects in states like Illinois deemed oppositional to its views. I would certainly fight in Congress to make sure the state receives its share of federal support, as well as work with officials in Illinois to fully, finally make a reality of the multi-dimensional promise of our transportation-related opportunities.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
I support a swift and humane path to citizenship for migrants, due process for all and accountability for agencies that violate civil rights. We must end racial profiling and ensure immigration enforcement upholds our Constitution and our values. The current administration and federal agents’ blatant disregard for due process and constitutional rights is wrong. In Congress, I will hold them accountable for their actions.
I believe the Department of Homeland Security should at minimum focus on its original purposes to protect borders and legally process removal of proven criminals. I support current congressional efforts to defund DHS and immigration-related detention centers and indiscriminate roundups without concern for due process, humane treatment or independent oversight.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
This is one of the main threads of my campaign. Despite the gains in health insurance coverage made under the Affordable Care Act, the United States remains the only high-income nation without universal health coverage. Coverage is universal, according to the World Health Organization, when “all people have access to needed health services (including prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation) of sufficient quality to be effective while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.”
Everyone deserves affordable, accessible health care no matter their income or ZIP code. I will fight to lower prescription drug costs, cap insulin prices, expand access to generic drugs, restore funding for rural and suburban hospitals. Along with 42 states and a majority of Americans polled, I support a Medicare for All framework. I will also be vigilant about numerous cuts in several agencies that can impact the health of individuals and overall communities I serve.
In Cook County, 360,000 residents rely on ACA coverage. Ninety percent depended on ACA tax credits that expired December 31, 2025. Now many face premiums that double or triple overnight. The burden will fall on working families, seniors on fixed incomes, people managing chronic conditions and communities that have already faced too many barriers to care. I recently joined other officials in urging the federal administration to extend these credits, even though Illinois has worked to ensure adequate funding.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress voted to slash taxes in ways that most reward the wealthiest, make the biggest cuts to health and nutrition assistance in history and force federal spending cuts that will slash revenue sharing with the states. This means that states will have to either raise revenue or make severe spending cuts of their own, in ways that harm their residents and communities.
Among the ways I envision seeking tax relief for my constituents in Congress:
Working Families: Legislation that strengthens the Earned Income Tax Credit to ensure it continues to reward work, reduce poverty and boost take-home pay for low- and moderate-income workers; that simplifies and expands access to work-related tax benefits, including commuting and caregiving expenses, to reflect the modern workforce and support labor force participation.
Small Businesses: Legislation that modernizes and simplifies small business tax provisions to reduce compliance burdens and help startups and small businesses scale and compete; that increases access to capital by expanding targeted tax incentives for investment in small businesses, particularly those investing in underserved or long-neglected communities and emerging industries.
Workforce: Legislation that reforms higher education tax incentives to better support students pursuing both traditional degrees and non-degree credentials.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
Like too many government bodies, the House has acceded much of its oversight powers by allowing lobbyists, bureaucrats, staff and the Executive Branch to develop and determine policies in hidden, sometimes unintended, self-serving ways. We now experience fear and chaos across the board, from top to bottom, in interconnected agencies designed to protect the welfare of the country’s diverse populations – from health care, education, the environment, housing, to individual’s ability to contribute to our democracy’s direction and economy. All require vigilance, particularly inequalities that further burden the working & middle classes, family farms, rural and most vulnerable populations (e.g., disabled, seniors).
I expect my first term to be devoted to restoring and rebuilding the rights, laws and infrastructure we mistakenly thought “secure,” where we do not need to “reinvent the wheel.” This would include previous legislation, funding and staffing achieved after decades of research, collaboration with affected groups, bi-partisan support and – despite any shortcomings – proven to be groundbreakingly successful in many ways.
I would especially demand oversight over insidious changes to our electoral process disguises autocracy as “the will of the people.” I will fight to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, protect fair elections and expand voter access through automatic and same-day registration. I will also join those calling into question the legitimacy of the 2010 Citizens United decision that swept away more than a century’s worth of campaign finance safeguards.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
I am concerned about the Trump Administration’s posturing, threats and incursions regarding numerous countries. The U.S. involvement in Russia-Ukraine conflict has been particularly long, costly and problematic in what it communicates about our national policy goals.
The Trump Administration has been far too conciliatory toward Russian President Vladimir Putin’s incursions into the Ukraine, which seem designed toward both territorial conquest/subjugation of Ukraine and weakening the influence of NATO and the West. At present, Washington has virtually ended almost all direct assistance to Ukraine, holds billions in authority for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and opted to sell arms to the country via European allies.
The House can exert the “power of the purse” to curb or encourage Executive Branch initiatives. In the case I’ve focused on, I support the National Defense Authorization Act’s provisions to authorize new military assistance for Ukraine, provide stronger oversight of the Trump Administration’s arms sales and intelligence support for Kyiv, and return abducted Ukrainian children from Russia.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
I agree with an expert observer’s statement, “Information technology has always been a double-edged sword,” which has made possible both the rise of modern society and of centralized authoritarianism and totalitarianism. Along with its benefits and environmental concerns, AI is a powerful tool in the hands of those unconcerned about democracy.
Studies substantiate the correlation between AI and “intellectual laziness,” loss of human decision-making, discerning truth from lies or information from propaganda. Most troubling to me is how AI can incorporate and contribute to historic social ills, particularly in disproportionate employment against people of color.
Facial recognition programs have been found to be racially biased -- e.g., wrongly identifying Black women 35-40% of the time. AI software predicting recidivism risk for U.S. courts falsely labeled Black defendants as high risk at twice the rate of white defendants. AI algorithms have also been found to show a “persistent anti-Muslim bias,” by associating violence with the word “Muslim” at a higher rate than with words describing people of other religions.
The Trump Administration has already shown a fondness for attacking balanced media, accurate reporting, fact-based research, independent education and “professionalism,” for favoring ways to profile, surveille and punish immigrants and even citizens who exercise free speech. I would definitely argue the need to regulate AI use in the public sector, if we are to maintain any trust in, efficacy and/or fair application of governmental resources.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
We have allowed opponents to characterize the party as “weak,” to simultaneously co-opt and dismiss our achievements. We need to do a better job owning our story, affirmatively communicating how we have successfully, honestly represented values shared by the vast majority of Americans, as expressed in the Democratic National Committee platform statement, “We believe that the economy should work for everyone, health care is a right, our diversity is our strength and democracy is worth defending.”
We have been responsible for much of the social progress that benefits Americans across the nation. As many in GOP-led states are discovering under Trump, they may suffer even more from the “big government” cuts to programs they felt rewarded “those others” in large cities. In reality, they face disproportionate exposure to reductions in Medicaid, disaster and rural aid, veterans' services and CDC grants, as well as big hits to university and research grants.
Blue States currently transfer net dollars to Red States, while the latter often receive larger shares of specified federal program dollars.
I believe in working with the opposition on common issues, with insistence on achieving our key objectives, compromise only with evidence the other side will take the necessary steps to meet our objectives. They hold over our heads our desire to protect the welfare of our constituents. We need to remind them and their constituents of how we’re also defending their needs. I already see that happening with Medicaid, ICE activities and “No Kings” protests.