Rush vs. White and Pellegrini: 10 questions for the candidates running for the 1st District of the U.S. House of Representatives
Illinois has 18 congressional districts, and each one features a contested race this year. Several include third-party candidates.
Congressional districts are determined by overall state population. Illinois, due to shrinking population, could lose a seat in the U.S. House, possibly two, following the completion of the U.S. Census.
To learn more about the candidates running for Congress, read their Tribune questionnaires here:
Why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.
Voters should elect me and not my opponents because I am honest and hardworking, and not a political dinosaur. I’m not part of the entrenched, corrupt political machine that has neglected Chicago and 1st District for generations. My main priority is to see positive change in our communities, to see jobs created, and to improve our schools and provide meaningful education. Only a candidate with energy, vision and a willingness to work hard for our people can achieve any of that.
What are your highest priorities for Illinois and the nation?
Education, jobs, entrepreneurship and social healing.
Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term – name it and describe what you want to accomplish.
I would want to bring our factories back from China and create thousands of manufacturing jobs in 1st District. This would have a direct knock-on effect by taking away the attraction of joining a street gang, and would improve our communities immensely. This would also take stress away from our neighborhoods and families by providing real income and long term careers.
In 150 words or fewer, make a pitch for the presidential candidate you support.
I support the Law and Order candidate, Donald J. Trump. We can’t afford for our neighborhoods to be looted. We can’t allow minority-owned businesses to be burned to the ground. Our children need to live in safe communities, and only Trump is standing against the mob.
Are you prepared to take up real reform to Social Security and Medicare to ensure their future solvency? What specific reforms would you be willing to support?
Yes, of course. If these programs are responsibly managed and are part of a cohesive fiscal infrastructure, they’re not at risk.
However, they must be well managed and must remain outside of partisan wrangling.
What do you view as the government’s obligation, if any, to help American workers secure health insurance? Do you support the creation or continuation of a program, such as Medicare for All or Obamacare? Do you have a different idea? If you support a government-related insurance plan, how would you pay for it?
These questions also must be outside of partisan wrangling. Health care reform is important, and President Obama made a valiant effort to introduce a new system, but it wasn’t thought through completely. The government could act as a co-sponsor of health care plans and introduce a co-pay system that is linked to income. This would provide much needed assistance and would be less open to fraud and corruption if prudently implemented.
Identify 3 national security threats to the United States. Choose one and explain your approach to dealing with that threat.
Loss of American factory jobs to China
Foreign and Domestic Terrorism
Human/Sex Trafficking
Threat number One can be partly eradicated by bringing our factories back from China and creating manufacturing jobs in our American cities. This would give us security over our very critical pharmaceuticals, and also our software and hardware production, some of which has been corrupted by malware.
COVID-19 has destroyed jobs. The economy needs to be rebuilt. What policy steps should Congress take (beyond stimulus money or bailouts) in the next year to create as many jobs and as much prosperity as possible?
Congress should make every effort to bring our factories back from China and create manufacturing jobs in our American cities.
When have you shown independence from your party on an issue of major import?
I’m running as an Independent.
If you are an incumbent, tell us the most significant accomplishment of your current term. If you are a newcomer, tell us how you as a rookie would keep from being a backbencher.
Through sheer tenacity, I will be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
Why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.
My vision has been consistent throughout my time in office. I remain committed to serving and being available to my constituents, both in Washington and at home. I work very hard as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and as a member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce and the Subcommittee on Health to ensure that our work is representative of the country, as a whole, and that it represents the diversity of voices that make up my district. I am proud to say that, as a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I have encouraged my colleagues to embrace this outlook on the committees on which they serve. I further believe that it is my duty to maintain an open-door policy and remain available to my constituents.
What are your highest priorities for Illinois and the nation?
Violence prevention;
Jobs; and
Increased access to educational opportunities.
While they may seem separate, all three of these issues are interconnected. A lack of educational opportunities leads to a lack of jobs, which is a key factor in the rise in violence. We must do what we can to stem the violence that exists today while we work to prevent it from increasing. That is why I was proud to host the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health at Kennedy–King College, where we discussed the epidemic of gun violence as a public health issue and possible solutions. Furthermore, I have introduced legislation to require a national registration system for firearms as well as to make gun trafficking — which is responsible for so many of the illegal guns in Chicagoland — a federal offense. I have also introduced legislation that will help retrain workers for new economy jobs by providing them the skills and education they need to succeed. Furthermore, I have introduced legislation to increase educational and employment opportunities in the healthcare industry by providing funding to attract, recruit, and retain students through scholarships, stipends, and mentorship programs for individuals from underrepresented groups. I remain committed to finding new and innovative ways to address these issues and whatever else my constituents may face. These problems, however, are not limited to Chicago or Illinois, but are prevalent across the country. While the solutions I have proposed would benefit Chicago, they would also benefit the nation as a whole.
Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term – name it and describe what you want to accomplish.
Addressing Chicago’s ongoing gun violence epidemic is one of my most urgent priorities. Too many families across my district, and across Chicagoland, have suffered the grief of losing a loved one to gun violence. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Chicago endured its most devastating month of gun violence in over 28 years. In light of these continued tragedies and my commitment to ending this cycle, I recently secured $1.5 million in additional funding for community-based violence prevention programs and will continue to fight for my legislation to make firearms trafficking a federal offense as well as legislation to create a national firearms registry.
In 150 words or fewer, make a pitch for the presidential candidate you support.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris will bring the United States back to the level of democracy we’ve stood on to empower the lives of American citizens and to people who seek a better life. Their vision and experience will work towards healing the social, educational and economic divide the current White House administration has manifested for the last four years.
Are you prepared to take up real reform to Social Security and Medicare to ensure their future solvency? What specific reforms would you be willing to support?
Many seniors depend on Social Security as their only source of income, therefore Social Security must be protected and enhanced to ensure its solvency. To protect Social Security, we must fight against privatization and lift the cap on Social Security contributions for the highest income levels without reducing benefits. Instead, we should expand benefits and increase cost-of-living adjustments. To protect Medicare, we must make the system more efficient. We can do this by lowering prescription drug costs, including by allowing Medicare to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers to reduce prices.
What do you view as the government’s obligation, if any, to help American workers secure health insurance? Do you support the creation or continuation of a program, such as Medicare for All or Obamacare? Do you have a different idea? If you support a government-related insurance plan, how would you pay for it?
I remain committed to increasing access to affordable, quality, and comprehensive health care for everyone. That is why I have cosponsored legislation to implement Medicare for All since 2005 and, as a senior Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, have helped to advance legislation to enact and strengthen the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Further, I have introduced legislation that brings down the price of prescription drugs by increasing competition, as well as legislation that eliminates out-of-pocket costs for insulin and increases access to screenings for vulnerable populations. I was also proud to vote for the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which, for the first time, allows Medicare to negotiate reduced prescription drug prices, institutes a cap on out-of-pocket costs for seniors, and provides vision, dental, and hearing benefits for Medicare recipients.
Identify 3 national security threats to the United States. Choose one and explain your approach to dealing with that threat.
The three biggest threats to our national security are domestic terrorism, disinformation online, and our adversaries' ongoing global expansion. In terms of global expansion, China continues to saber-rattle in East Asia. It has done so through the erosion of democracy and institutions in Hong Kong, the public development of weapons systems intended to strike U.S. assets in the region, and the continued development of a military presence in key shipping lanes (which pose a direct threat to global commerce and, in turn, the U.S. economy). At the same time, Russia continues its ambitions unchecked. What started with the invasion and illegal annexation of territories in Georgia and Ukraine has developed into a situation where Russia is actively sowing division in the U.S., interfering in our elections, and, most recently, paying bounties in Afghanistan for attacks on U.S. forces and engaging in direct confrontation with our forces in Syria. One of the most important things we, as a country, can do is to not allow these bad actors to go unpunished. We must not coddle their leaders but, instead, hold them accountable. For example, instead of praising Vladimir Putin and calling him “very smart,” as President Trump has done, we must hold his feet to the fire and make it clear that his continued assault on American lives and on American democracy will not go unpunished.
COVID-19 has destroyed jobs. The economy needs to be rebuilt. What policy steps should Congress take (beyond stimulus money or bailouts) in the next year to create as many jobs and as much prosperity as possible?
Small businesses are the engine that drive our economy. We need to make sure that those businesses — and their workers — have the resources they need to make it through this crisis and ultimately recover once we are past this pandemic. We must ensure that our small businesses remain strong, so that our economy can rebuild and people have the ability to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. As such, I was pleased to vote for the CARES Act, which created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). I am fully committed to this program which — while not perfect and not flawlessly implemented — has provided the necessary resources for businesses to maintain their payroll, hire back employees who may have been laid off, and cover applicable overhead. I have voted for legislation like the HEROES Act, which would expand the PPP, particularly for minority- and women-owned businesses. I have also pushed for additional funding for this program and much-needed transparency on where this funding is going. Additionally, we must ensure access to capital. Black banks have long served low- and moderate-income neighborhoods by providing mortgages, opportunities to build credit, and welcoming places to deposit earnings, but they are now in danger of disappearing. I have introduced legislation to strengthen these critical institutions, which have buoyed their neighborhoods by boosting economic growth, promoting civic participation, and even reducing crime rates.
When have you shown independence from your party on an issue of major import?
While I am proud to serve as a Democrat, I will always do what I think is best for my district, our state, and the country. That is why I have not always voted with the party line on important issues. Last Congress, for example, I reached across the aisle and worked with my Republican colleagues to ensure access to treatment for those suffering from substance use disorder. Through this cooperation, I was able to secure access to treatment for a broader range of people than would have otherwise been impacted. Ultimately, this expansion also led many Democrats, myself included, to vote for the final bill. Earlier this Congress, House Democratic Leadership put forth a resolution condemning the racism and vitriol of Rep. Steve King. I was the only member of the House of Representatives, Democrat or Republican, that did not support this resolution. I made that choice because I felt that his statements and actions warranted a stronger response than a simple condemnation.
If you are an incumbent, tell us the most significant accomplishment of your current term. If you are a newcomer, tell us how you as a rookie would keep from being a backbencher.
The most significant accomplishment of my current term was securing passage of H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill, which would establish lynching as a federal crime, represents the first time in over 100 years that the U.S. House of Representatives voted on anti-lynching legislation. I was proud to see it pass with broad bipartisan support, 410–4, but have been dismayed at how it has been treated in the U.S. Senate
Why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.
The voters should consider the past 27 year performance of the incumbent and measure the outcomes of what is and has been lacking in the leadership that they have entrusted to represent them on a Federal level. It is unfortunate, that the communities where Black people live in the district seem to have declined in a number of areas: loss of manufacturing companies, jobs, health facilities, schools, training and the list goes on and on. Yet, funding from the Federal government has been given to the district for improvements for infrastructures, educational and vocational programs, veterans needs, health facilities, including medical needs, etc. But the same communities seem to either remain stagnant or have and continue to decline to the determent of the constituents. The incumbent has become complacent and has lost touch with the people. That is why the voters should elect me, based on my record and involvement directly in the community as an active member on a park district board, as a past ward committeewoman, advocating for the rights and dignity of our veterans and wiliness to go into ALL the district communities including those residing in low income, mobile and temporary housing. These are areas where the greatest level of compassion and resources, yet they are the most neglected and written off as hopeless. These are just an example why the voters should elect me over my opponent. I offer them a New Choice and a Better Way. If after 27 years you failed to sponsor major legislation that directly impacts the communities but have left doubt instead, it is time to be replaced. I am hoping the constituents will see that the only sensible change for the District is to elect me as their congresswoman. I am willing to accept term limits so others may continued to build on the successes I established during my term of office.
What are your highest priorities for Illinois and the nation?
My highest priorities for Illinois and the nation are:
1) School choice. Allowing parents to choose where their child will go to receive a quality education. This includes private, faith-based and homeschooling. This would also allow the funds to follow the child instead of through the local government.
2) American First. Bringing back manufacturing, securing the southern border and supporting law and order. This would ensure that Americans receive the benefits due them as citizens and will create a pipeline for a stronger economy and quicker recovery, as more Americans become gainfully employed and confident in providing for their families.
Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term – name it and describe what you want to accomplish.
The one issue I would prioritize is Education. Parents deserve the right to determine the best educational options for their children without having to feel pressured by government overreach. Children learn in different ways and there is no one better advocate than the parents to continue to guide their child through their educational journey. The money that goes to public education is fraught with self-interests groups that are advocating for issues beyond the education of the student. This is something parents do not appreciate. Nor should their tax dollars be spent to fund the local government run schools which oftentimes waste it on issues other than educating students. I will help parents utilize their earned tax dollars in ways that give greater options and more direct involvement in their child’s education without it causing financial impact on the entire family such as when teachers go on strike bargaining for higher wages, etc. I would also advocate for a reasonable tuition for American citizens instead of the unfair current student loan system that hurts generations of students seeking higher education options, but face years of debt. This system is antiquated and needs to be replaced and/or eliminated entirely with one that works to build futures after graduation not to force one into financial decline and destitute.
In 150 words or fewer, make a pitch for the presidential candidate you support.
Donald J. Trump asked the Black community five years ago, “What do you have to lose?” He said that in reference to taking a chance to vote for him as the 45th President of the United States of America. In doing so, he forced Black Americans to take a hard look at the current state of their lives, family, community and country. He forced us to echo the question: What DO we have to lose? When Blacks residing in urban areas run by a one party system, (Democrats) in many cases it was a hard but necessary question to consider. When we looked at the decline in jobs over the previous eight years prior to a President Trump administration, we had to be truthful about the situation, its causes and the facts. And many of us did face the reality that jobs, services, education and liberties declined and got worse under the previous administration. So we took the chance, we voted for the businessman, we saw the promises made, were kept and we saw record employment among Blacks and the unemployment rate decrease too. We saw regulations cut, roads being built, the economy bouncing back, and we knew then as we know now that Donald Trump cares and loves this country and it shows through his ACTIONS despite the propaganda, rhetoric and disinformation from those that only oppose him because of his personality or a loss of their candidate of choice. We understood that it would take a businessman that knows what it means to build not only a nation, but its people as well. Trump has done that, amid all the opposition, and we are confident that with those who took a change the first time to elect him, will do so again and he will be able to accomplish even more during his second term. I will proudly stand with him to assist him with keeping America great!
Are you prepared to take up real reform to Social Security and Medicare to ensure their future solvency? What specific reforms would you be willing to support?
I reserve my answer until further research is done.
What do you view as the government’s obligation, if any, to help American workers secure health insurance? Do you support the creation or continuation of a program, such as Medicare for All or Obamacare? Do you have a different idea? If you support a government-related insurance plan, how would you pay for it?
I reserve my answer until further research is done.
Identify 3 national security threats to the United States. Choose one and explain your approach to dealing with that threat.
I reserve my answer until further research is done.
COVID-19 has destroyed jobs. The economy needs to be rebuilt. What policy steps should Congress take (beyond stimulus money or bailouts) in the next year to create as many jobs and as much prosperity as possible?
Congress must act in the manner they were elected for and that is to represent the will of the constituents that elected them to office. What we currently have are a select group of individuals that are more consumed with their own agendas instead of the good of the nation. Thus, they refuse to allow the president to do his job, and they are unwilling to assist him in doing so. Until congress realizes that they are standing in the path of progress by constantly rejecting anything this administration wants to do to put their country first, COVID will be just the first in many issues that will arise. COVID didn’t destroy jobs, the leaders in congress did by making this a political issue instead of banning together as a nation and facing the truth about its origins and providing swift protections so that the economy didn’t have to shut down. Congress must put aside partisan fighting and realize we are one nation, and start working toward and building it up together.
When have you shown independence from your party on an issue of major import?
N/A
If you are an incumbent, tell us the most significant accomplishment of your current term. If you are a newcomer, tell us how you as a rookie would keep from being a backbencher.
N/A
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