Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I’m running for Congress because this moment in our nation’s history requires a sense of urgency and purpose. The Constitution, the rule of law, and basic norms and decency have been trampled upon by this President and his administration – and we have a Republican Majority that has abdicated their duty and is instead allowing one man to run the country by Executive fiat.
That’s not what our Constitution allows for, and it’s not what our founders intended. I’m running to restore the Constitution, checks and balances, and Congressional authority. Then we can get to the business of restoring the American Dream and our American values for the American people.
I’m hearing from people across the 8th District who just want to get back to normal. They are tired of the dysfunction and drama coming out of Washington, and they want to know that their Members of Congress will put their heads down, roll up their sleeves, and just do the work. During my time in Congress, I had a reputation of delivering results, and I’m running to build on that progress and address concerns about affordable healthcare, housing, energy, and education, as well as protecting election integrity, social security and our environment.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
During my time in Congress, we delivered real solutions for working families across the 8th District, including passing Obamacare, Dodd Frank Wall Street Reforms, Equal Pay, SBA Lending, and more. I am deeply committed to bringing that solutions-oriented mindset back to Congress, but first we must restore our Constitution, checks and balances, and Congressional authority – particularly powers of the purse, tariffs, taxes, and war. Our system was never designed to be beholden to one man, and our top priority must be to restore democracy and regain the trust of the American people.
To address the urgent work of the people, my priorities include passing my VOTE Act to restore trust in our elections, and my Empowering Young Americans Plan to restore upward mobility by expanding housing stock, protecting affordable healthcare, and reducing costs of college financing. I hear from young people who feel like the American Dream has grown inaccessible – this plan works to restore it for future generations.
In addition to restoring our democracy, rebuilding trust with the American people, and reclaiming Congress’ Constitutional authority, I’m working on my Secure Social Security Act which seeks to ensure solvency and security for current recipients and young people who are uncertain about future viability.
What is one unique challenge your district faces and how do you plan to address it?
One unique challenge the fast-growing 8th District faces is transportation. As we’ve seen a huge population explosion in many 8th district communities along with changes in how people get to and from work, our area has seen far more inter-suburban travel. This area wasn’t designed with public transportation in mind, so the infrastructure doesn’t exist, causing bottlenecks and excess traffic on our roadways.
I’ve been encouraged by recent efforts in Springfield to revitalize transit through the NITA Board. I’m hopeful that we’ll begin to see a more coordinated regional approach to help alleviate congestion challenges.
When I return to Congress, I will work on finding ways the federal government can work to encourage public transportation and help Illinoisans get from place to place. Ultimately, improving transportation can help us reduce traffic and lower greenhouse emissions.
What do you think federal immigration reform should look like?
Congress needs to bring back comprehensive immigration reform to the table, while also securing our borders as a matter of national security. Border security is a necessary responsibility, but it must be pursued lawfully, humanely, transparently, and with accountability.
Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to operate in ways that are unsafe and unlawful. Large-scale actions such as Operation Midway Blitz and armed occupation of America’s streets and sidewalks have led to fear, violent confrontation, and even deaths of US citizens. Images of masked agents taking over neighborhoods do not reflect American values and leave us less safe. Under this administration, untrained, unvetted and unaccountable armed ICE agents have put immigrants, citizens, children, bystanders, and law enforcement at risk. Enforcement without due process, transparency, or oversight erodes trust and violates constitutional protections.
The President has weaponized ICE for political purposes. Congress must restore accountability by removing ICE from communities until reforms are enacted, suspending agent immunity, requiring public reporting, guaranteeing access to counsel, mandating body cams, prohibiting masks, and setting firm limits on enforcement at schools, hospitals, places of worship, and courthouses. Until these reforms are made, ICE should not be given further funding.
We can enforce the law while respecting due process, civil liberties, and human dignity. Public safety and constitutional values can coexist, and that is what I will demand.
How should Congress address the rising costs of health care?
I was proud to work with President Obama to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Before the ACA, young adults couldn’t stay on their parents’ plans, millions were denied or dropped for preexisting conditions, and many were priced out of coverage. The leading cause of bankruptcy in the US was from one healthcare catastrophe, and that included people with health insurance.
The ACA improved everyone’s insurance by requiring 100% coverage of annual physicals and routine screenings without a deductible or copay. It also banned spending caps that were driving Americans with insurance into bankruptcy, banned denying or dropping coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and required more comprehensive benefits like allowing young adult coverage until age 26.
That progress is now at risk. The erosion of ACA tax credits by the Trump Administration and this Republican Majority has made coverage unaffordable for families and increased costs systemwide. When people lose insurance, they rely on emergency rooms, driving up uncompensated care and raising premiums for all.
We must strengthen—not weaken—the ACA by protecting tax credits, maintaining protections for preexisting conditions, encouraging competition to control costs, and investing in preventive and primary care. I supported the ACA because I believe in protecting the health and dignity of every American—and I will continue to fight for that vision.
What approach would you take on tax policy and what is your top priority?
I believe we must take steps to make our tax code more fair and address the growing wealth and income inequality gaps. We should reward work and investment while ensuring the wealthiest Americans contribute their fair share to the nation that makes their success possible. I want to lower the burden on working families and small businesses. Policies like my Empowering Young Americans Plan seek to encourage early investing for all and restore the lowest rungs on the ladders of upward mobility so future generations can experience the American Dream. We should broaden the tax base and close loopholes that only the folks with the best lawyers can use. If we do that, we can have a code that is both pro-growth and pro-family.
We also must ensure any new tax policy is fiscally responsible. Given the size of our growing deficit, I’d also urge Congressional leadership to return to adhering to statutory PAYGO budget rules when passing new legislation. Outside of emergency scenarios, this requires Congress to pay for increased mandatory spending or tax cuts with spending cuts or revenue increases elsewhere in the budget to avoid increasing the deficit. Too often Congressional leaders waive this requirement, leading to staggering increases in the deficit since I last served.
To do so will require tremendous discipline, but it can be done. When I helped pass the ACA and Dodd Frank legislation, both historic and impactful bills, we adhered to the PAYGO budget rules to keep them deficit neutral.
Is the House currently using its oversight powers in the way it should be? What areas of government need more or less oversight?
There must be oversight and there must be accountability. Under this administration, we’ve seen flagrant corruption and executive overreach the likes of which this country has not seen before. The American people have lost faith in government, and Congress must do its part to ensure oversight.
There will be investigations and accountability, but one of our top priorities in Congress, sadly, will be to codify the Congressional, Presidential, and Supreme Court norms that Americans can no longer count on. While there used to be certain lows below which neither party would go, this is an Administration and Republican Majority for whom shame has no meaning. Americans should and do expect better. Doing the right thing should never be a partisan thing.
To help ensure oversight, I would support creating and enforcing Ethics reforms for the Supreme Court, Congress, and the Presidency.
What is the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the country and what role should the House play in dealing with it?
I believe the most pressing issues facing the global community are climate change and artificial intelligence. Both of these are issues that will impact populations all across the world, and they are issues that no single country can tackle on their own.
Take climate change for example. It is the single most imminent threat humanity faces, and the United States must be part of a global coalition to slow the impacts. I’m deeply concerned that the current administration continues to deny science and withdrew from global efforts like the Climate Accords to bring impacts under control. We’re moving towards a tipping point, and if we don’t take immediate action to address it, we don’t get a redo. We have a responsibility to future generations, to not just rejoin, but to lead global efforts to tackle this crisis and ensure that our grandchildren’s grandchildren inherit a safe and habitable planet.
Artificial intelligence is another frontier that requires the global community to work together. We must ensure that the proper guardrails are in place to keep communities and consumers safe while still allowing us to innovate and use AI to the benefit of humanity.
How do you view AI and the role the government should play in its regulation?
Artificial intelligence has the potential to yield amazing innovations, but it also carries enormous risks, including risks to consumer safety, risks to personal privacy, risks to our financial systems, risks to our national security, and economic risks from potential mass layoffs.
I’m particularly concerned about recently reported instances of AI agents escaping their testing platforms and acting in unrestrained and problematic ways, outside of the human direction they’ve received. Industry leaders themselves have sounded the alarm about these safety concerns, and Congress has a responsibility to act on those concerns.
There must be guardrails that ensure human oversight is required and in place to protect our defense systems, financial systems, and personal privacy. Congress also has a responsibility to be planning for an AI empowered economy, which is already creating new jobs, but also causing displacement. We need to rethink career pathways for existing and new generations and prepare for government tax revenue impacts.
I strongly believe that AI can be beneficial to our lives, particularly as it relates to finding cures and new discoveries in healthcare. But the use of AI must be additive, not detrimental. Innovation cannot come at the expense of our safety and wellbeing.
How would you describe the current state of your party and what changes or new approaches would you like to see your party adopt?
As I talk to families across the 8th District, it’s clear that people are very frustrated with the President and the Republican Majority that refuses to do their job. It’s also clear that they’re frustrated with the Democratic Party too. Americans feel disillusioned with the government as a whole. They’re tired of feeling like their leaders aren’t listening. They’re tired of feeling like candidates make promises to earn their votes and then forget about those promises once election season is over. They’re tired of feeling like no matter who’s in power, their lives don’t improve and their needs don’t get addressed.
Having been part of a functional Congressional majority, I hope to bring back the muscle memory of doing the hard work to deliver results.Taking back the majority in November is just the first step, but then we have to govern and legislate effectively to regain the trust of the American people. That starts with listening to people, actually hearing their concerns, problem solving, and delivering real solutions.
Lastly, as Congressional Democrats legislate on behalf of the people we represent, we need to do a better job of communicating about how and where our work provides tangible benefit and impact for our constituents.