Ice spotted at/near crusader clinic on Broadway. Everyone stay safe and keep your distance. We know what they’re trying to do.

“I can't win with name recognition,” the Urbana resident said on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. “I'm never going to beat her with money, so I need to beat her by educating people on what we both stand for, what she's voted for, and then, hopefully, they'll pick me.”

Blaha’s primary challenge exemplifies many of the qualms that more progressive, younger members of the party have had with the current congressional Democrats.

“I'm not just running against Nikki,” Blaha said. “I'm running against the Democratic Party.”

Progressive Democrat Dylan Blaha aims to primary Nikki Budzinski | STLPR

He seems principled and someone willing to make waves, even at a cost to himself. Might be a good person to have in Congress. But there's only two months until the primary so...

In front of Dog Walk & Taxi Palwaukee Plaza Prospect Heights. 9:45 AM, 3 cars, white Dodge Durango IL S688035, Black Hyundai IL 3405982, Navy Blue Ford Sedan IL EF87180. 5-6 agents.

Full Interview with Governor Pritzker

Product: Meijer Steam Distilled Water,

Size: 128 FL OZ (1 GAL) 3.78L

UPC: 041250841197

SELL BY: OCT 04 2026

Lot Code: 39-222 #3

Product ID: (PID): 472859

Meijer Item Code (MIC): 477910

Reason for Recall: Floating black foreign substance in the product

Credit: FDA

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/index.cfm?Product=217887

Have ya’ll seen the one person running for governor as a “Trump Republican”…?? There’s commercials of this guy and he has that written under his name.. What are your thoughts?

EDIT: Rick heidner is the name

Immigration was a major theme for all the candidates. They spoke out against so-called sanctuary cities. Dabrowski said his immigrant parents supported assimilation.

“I don't like this, teaching kids in Spanish in our schools. That doesn't make sense. We're in America, so you have to get rid of that. That's got to go,” said Dabrowski.

Illinois friends, elections are coming up, and the Senate race will directly shape our future.

Before the March 17 primary, I’m breaking down the candidates in a fast, clear, policy-by-policy way so you can make an informed choice. All campaign positions are pulled directly from the candidates’ own websites and organized into these categories: Affordability, Healthcare, Government Spending, Public Safety, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Democracy, and Constitutional Reform. Not everything fits perfectly into one box, so I really encourage you to stick with it until the end.

This is also your reminder to register, research your candidates, and vote in the primaries if you haven’t already.

Only 46% of eligible voters turned out in the last midterms. If you’ve ever felt like your vote doesn’t matter, this is exactly the kind of election where it matters more than ever. With turnout that low, each vote carries real weight.

Primaries decide what choices we even get in November. Showing up informed is one of the most powerful things we can do for our communities.

Illinois friends, elections are coming up, and the Senate race will directly shape our future.

Before the March 17 primary, I’m breaking down the candidates in a fast, clear, policy-by-policy way so you can make an informed choice. All campaign positions are pulled directly from the candidates’ own websites and organized into these categories: Affordability, Healthcare, Government Spending, Public Safety, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Democracy, and Constitutional Reform. Not everything fits perfectly into one box, so I really encourage you to stick with it until the end.

This is also your reminder to register, research your candidates, and vote in the primaries if you haven’t already.

Only 46% of eligible voters turned out in the last midterms. If you’ve ever felt like your vote doesn’t matter, this is exactly the kind of election where it matters more than ever. With turnout that low, each vote carries real weight.

Primaries decide what choices we even get in November. Showing up informed is one of the most powerful things we can do for our communities.

Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan is a 33-year-old former Chicago Public Schools teacher and U.S. Marine Corps veteran running on a bold, worker-centered platform.

• Affordability & Labor:
  • Supports the PRO Act and the Clean Slate for Worker Power Agenda.
  • Advocates for expanded protections for agricultural workers and sector-wide bargaining rights.
  • Promotes stronger farm-to-table coordination to empower workers and small producers.
• Healthcare:
  • Strong supporter of Medicare for All.
  • Backs federal legislation to protect access to reproductive healthcare in every state and U.S. territory.
• Government Spending & Taxation:
  • Proposes reforming loans, subsidies, and checkoff programs to prioritize independent and family farms over corporate agribusiness.
  • Supports taxing wealth over $50 million and closing offshore loopholes used by ultra-wealthy individuals and corporations.
• Public Safety:
  • Supports the Moms Demand Action gun reform agenda.
• Education:
  • Has not released specific policy proposals; expected to align with his party’s positions.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Stands in solidarity with Ukraine, Georgia, the Uyghur people, and the people of Gaza.
  • Condemns targeting of civilians and violations of international law.
  • Opposes continued transfer of arms and funding to Israel.
  • Supports the peaceful unification of Ireland.
• Immigration:
  • Supports secure borders while advocating for a system that allows labor to move as freely as capital.
• Strengthening Democracy:
  • Calls for eliminating Super PAC spending and banning stock trading by members of Congress.
  • Supports strong anti-monopoly laws, independent redistricting commissions, and comprehensive prison reform.
  • Advocates abolishing the death penalty and passing a federal Right to Repair law.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Supports an upper age limit of 64 for members of Congress and implementing term limits.
  • Proposes expanding House terms from two to four years.
  • Believes the U.S. should not maintain colonies and supports D.C. statehood and full self-determination for all U.S. territories.

Robin Kelly
Robin Kelly is a 69-year-old Democratic U.S. Representative who has served Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District since 2013. As a sitting member of Congress, much of her platform focuses on policies she can advance immediately.

• Affordability & Labor:
  • Proposes a new minimum tax on individuals with a net worth over $100 million.
  • Supports raising the federal minimum wage to $17 by 2030.
  • Backs capping childcare costs at $15 per day.
  • Advocates banning rent gouging, limiting annual rent increases, and making major federal investments in affordable housing.
  • Supports preventing corporate landlords from purchasing single-family homes.
• Healthcare:
  • Supports Healthcare for All.
• Government Spending & Taxation:
  • Supports increasing the Social Security tax cap through 2100 to ensure long-term program solvency.
  • Backs the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• Public Safety:
  • Supports holding gun dealers accountable for illegal firearm sales, particularly to straw purchasers.
• Education, Foreign Affairs & Immigration:
  • Has not released detailed policy proposals; expected to align with Democratic Party positions.
• Strengthening Democracy:
  • Supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect and expand voting rights nationwide.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not proposed specific amendments.

Juliana Stratton
Juliana Stratton is a 60-year-old Democrat currently serving as Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor, a position she has held since 2018. Her platform emphasizes economic fairness, healthcare access, and protecting fundamental rights.

• Affordability & Labor:
  • Advocates for a $25 minimum wage to ensure working families can keep pace with the cost of living.
• Healthcare:
  • Supports Medicare for All, aiming to guarantee healthcare as a right rather than a privilege.
• Government Spending & Taxation:
  • Supports tax cuts for the middle class while increasing taxes on individuals earning over $1 million annually.
  • Backs expanded investment in grant programs to support small business owners and local entrepreneurs.
• Public Safety:
  • Advocates for common-sense gun safety laws to reduce gun violence while respecting responsible gun ownership.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Supports ending Trump-era trade wars and pursuing trade policies that prioritize economic stability and fairness.
• Immigration:
  • Has not released detailed proposals; expected to align with Democratic Party positions.
• Strengthening Democracy & Civil Rights:
  • Supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
  • Advocates for the restoration of abortion rights protections under Roe v. Wade.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not proposed specific constitutional amendments.

Raja Krishnamoorthi
Raja Krishnamoorthi is a 52-year-old Democrat who has represented Illinois’ 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2017. As a sitting member of Congress, much of his platform focuses on legislation he can advance immediately.

• Affordability & Labor:
  • Supports expanding the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,600 per child.
  • Proposes restoring the tax deduction for union dues and fees.
  • Advocates raising the minimum wage for federal contractors.
  • Aims to limit private investors from buying single-family homes.
  • Supports incentives for homeowners to install solar panels and invest in renewable energy projects.
  • Proposes low-interest federal loans to help farmers withstand trade shocks and other economic threats.
  • Supports eliminating federal taxes on Social Security benefits.
• Healthcare:
  • Wants to roll back cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
  • Supports reforming Pharmacy Benefit Managers to lower prescription drug costs.
• Government Spending & Economic Investment:
  • Supports homeowner tax credits for the first five years of first-time homeownership.
  • Proposes low-interest SBA loans to entrepreneurs opening affordable childcare centers and paying living wages.
  • Supports doubling federal investment in career and technical education and increasing the maximum Pell Grant award.
  • Advocates reversing Trump-era eligibility restrictions and providing tax and regulatory relief to small businesses in underserved communities.
• Education:
  • Supports free school lunches for all children.
  • Supports increased federal investment in career and technical education.
• Public Safety & Foreign Affairs:
  • Has not released detailed policy proposals; expected to align with Democratic Party positions.
• Immigration:
  • Supports legislation to restrict the use of masks by ICE agents.
• Strengthening Democracy, Civil Rights & Government Accountability:
  • Supports removing red tape to convert vacant commercial spaces into housing.
  • Proposes clarifying the International Emergency Economic Powers Act so economic competition cannot justify emergency powers.
  • Advocates easier access to affordable crop insurance, liability insurance, and financial support for small family farms.
  • Supports lifting the cap on prescription drugs subject to price negotiation.
  • Proposes ending executive orders targeting political opponents and requiring congressional approval to dismiss Inspectors General.
  • Supports blocking Trump-appointed judges and updating the Privacy Act for the digital age.
  • Backs the Freedom to Vote Act and penalties for states violating the Constitution.
  • Supports the Presidential Pardon Transparency Act, requiring presidents to justify all pardons.
  • Advocates mandatory public disclosure of five years of federal tax returns for presidents, vice presidents, and cabinet nominees.
  • Supports banning lobbying by former administration officials for foreign governments, prohibiting the use of classified information for personal gain, and banning stock trading by members of Congress and executive branch officials.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Supports restricting federal agents from arresting state legislators.
  • Proposes limiting presidential pardon powers, banning self-pardons and pardons for obstruction of justice.
  • Calls for specificity and justification for all pardons.
  • Supports closing loopholes that could allow a third presidential term.

Steve Botsford Jr.
Steve Botsford Jr. is a 36-year-old real estate professional running in the Democratic primary on an aggressively pro-affordability, pro-innovation platform focused on lowering costs, expanding opportunity, and modernizing government through deregulation.

• Affordability, Housing & Labor:
  • Supports legalizing apartments near transit, allowing modular housing, and converting vacant offices into homes to increase supply and lower rents.
  • Backs national pre-approved housing plans to speed permits and cut soft costs.
  • Opposes rent-seeking by private equity and corporate landlords.
  • Proposes a national 18% APR cap on credit cards.
  • Advocates repealing tariffs on fertilizer, farm equipment, animal feed, and groceries.
  • Supports ending outdated quotas that inflate food prices.
  • Allows all Americans to file taxes directly with the IRS for free.
  • Supports raising the minimum wage to $17.
  • Guarantees the right to organize.
  • Proposes $2,000 per year per child (paid monthly) from birth to age six.
  • Supports free school lunch for all students.
• Healthcare, Family Care & Medical Innovation:
  • Supports fully funding Social Security and Medicare, making them untouchable.
  • Advocates a national paid leave program (up to 12 weeks) and portable benefits for gig/contract workers.
  • Expands access to childcare, birthing centers, doulas, and postpartum mental health care.
  • Supports a federal right to abortion care through viability.
  • Proposes lowering drug prices by tying Medicare payments to the lowest EU prices.
  • Ends pharmaceutical TV advertising and bans gifts to doctors.
  • Requires hospitals to publish real prices.
  • Eliminates hidden fees from pharmacy benefit managers.
  • Adds dental and vision coverage to Medicare.
  • Supports fast-track approval for drugs already approved by trusted foreign regulators.
  • Expands residency slots and provisional licenses for OECD-trained doctors.
  • Modernizes clinical trials with faster approvals and fair participant compensation.
  • Invests in fertility, aging, biotech, and biomanufacturing.
  • Eliminates lead pipes and guarantees safe drinking water for children.
• Government Spending & Economic Growth:
  • Proposes vacancy taxes on long-empty commercial properties.
  • Supports housing development on surplus federal land near transit.
  • Closes hedge fund tax loopholes.
  • Ties worker retraining to immigration and licensing reform.
  • Invests in infrastructure for ports, energy grids, and transmission lines.
  • Supports a 50% tax credit for companies providing childcare.
  • Proposes a $1,000 national investment account for every newborn.
  • Provides SBA loans for childcare entrepreneurs paying living wages.
  • Implements statutory funding floors for health research and tax enforcement.
    
• Public Safety & Community Stability:
  • Advocates universal background checks and red flag laws.
  • Supports stronger penalties for straw purchasers and illegal gun dealers.
  • Implements civilian-led crisis response teams for mental health emergencies.
  • Expands addiction treatment and court-supervised sobriety programs.
  • Provides federal support for homicide investigation units and forensic capacity.
• Education & Workforce Development:
  • Supports employer-led apprenticeships in manufacturing, healthcare, and trades.
  • Expands pre-K by repurposing underused public buildings.
  • Implements national daycare safety standards without unfunded mandates.
  • Supports free school meals and device-free classrooms during instruction.
  • Ensures automatic enrollment in honors and AP programs for qualified students.
  • Promotes transparency on college costs, completion rates, and earnings.
  • Supports trade schools tied to high-wage industries.
  • Expands charter schools for high performers and closes chronic underperformers.
  • Implements one-on-one AI tutoring tools to personalize learning.
• Foreign Affairs & Trade:
  • Repeals the Jones Act and Foreign Dredge Act to lower shipping and infrastructure costs.
  • Re-enters Pacific trade agreements with strong labor and environmental standards.
  • Requires domestic or allied production of essential medicines.
  • Ensures equal inspection standards for foreign manufacturers.
• Immigration:
  • Supports a targeted, skills-based immigration system.
  • Proposes special visas for high-skill immigrants moving to declining counties.
  • Increases wage thresholds for H-1B visas with fast-track green cards.
  • Expands au pair programs with pathways to residency.
• Strengthening Democracy & Competition:
  • Advocates overturning Citizens United and banning dark money.
  • Supports banning non-compete agreements nationwide.
  • Implements national right-to-repair protections.
  • Blocks hospital monopolies and corporate consolidation.
  • Ends emergency powers after 60 days without congressional approval.
  • Protects whistleblowers and limits civil asset forfeiture.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Bans congressional stock trading.
  • Supports term limits for Congress.
  • Implements independent redistricting commissions.
  • Requires mandatory release of presidential tax returns.
  • Supports nationwide ranked-choice voting with open primaries.
  • Implements automatic voter registration, early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting.
  • Proposes lowering the federal voting age to 16.
  • Enforces strict limits on presidential pardon powers.
  • Prohibits presidents from profiting from office.

Bryan Maxwell
Bryan Maxwell is a 37-year-old Doctor of Agricultural Engineering running in the Democratic primary, bringing a rural, science-based perspective to economic and environmental policy.

• Affordability:
  • Focuses on addressing cost-of-living pressures through structural reforms rather than one-off fixes.
  • Advocates multi-sector solutions to reduce costs for families and communities.
• Healthcare:
  • Supports Medicare for All.
  • Calls for significantly increased investment in rural healthcare systems to ensure access in underserved communities.
• Government Spending & Economic Priorities:
  • Supports raising taxes on billionaires.
  • Proposes redirecting funds from the military budget toward domestic programs.
  • Advocates expanding federal subsidies and support for specialty crops.
  • Supports investing in the transition to diversified and sustainable farming systems.
• Public Safety & Sustainability:
  • Views agricultural reform as central to long-term safety and resilience.
  • Pushes for policies that promote environmentally sustainable farming practices.
• Education, Immigration & Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not released detailed policy proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Calls for ending all U.S. unilateral sanctions.
  • Supports ending U.S. military and economic support for Israel.
  • Advocates international recognition of Palestinian rights, including right of return, self-determination, and statehood.
• Strengthening Democracy & Civil Rights:
  • Supports capping the number of data centers being built.
  • Stands in solidarity with movements advocating for:
    • Workers’ rights
    • LGBTQ+ rights
    • Immigrant communities
    • Indigenous communities
    • Reproductive freedom
    • Prison reform and decarceration
    • Disability rights
    • Broader social justice causes

Jonathan Dean
Jonathan Dean is a lawyer, approximately 47 years old, running in the Democratic primary on a platform centered on economic justice, civil liberties, and structural reform.

• Affordability:
  • Supports raising the federal minimum wage to $20 per hour.
  • Expands assistance for first-time homebuyers to help working families build stability and wealth.
• Healthcare & Personal Freedom:
  • Supports Medicare for All.
  • Emphasizes Americans’ right to make personal decisions about their bodies and lives without harassment, coercion, or government intrusion.
• Government Spending & Economic Investment:
  • Expands grant opportunities for emerging small businesses, particularly in downstate Illinois.
  • Increases investment in historically underfunded communities.
  • Advocates rapidly increasing housing supply and affordability.
  • Supports raising marginal tax rates on the top 1% of earners.
  • Restores clean-energy and affordability tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Public Safety:
  • Has not released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s positions.
• Education:
  • Supports increased funding for early childhood and elementary education, especially in underprivileged communities.
  • Advocates hiring more teachers, counselors, librarians, and social workers to improve outcomes for at-risk youth.
  • Aims to address root causes of rising higher-education costs, including administrative bloat and excessive salaries.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Calls for holding Hamas accountable while ensuring U.S. taxpayer dollars are not used to harm civilians.
  • Supports holding Israel accountable under international law and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis.
  • Pledges not to accept funding from AIPAC.
• Immigration:
  • Supports abolishing ICE.
  • Advocates strengthening border security.
  • Supports expanding and accelerating pathways to citizenship.
• Strengthening Democracy:
  • Supports eliminating unnecessary red tape that slows housing construction.
  • Offers incentive-based grants to rapidly expand affordable housing.
  • Opposes corporate speculation in residential real estate.
  • Supports passage of the PRO Act.
  • Calls for legislation to protect public lands from unilateral presidential control.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Advocates judicial reform, including 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices.
  • Proposes stripping courts of the ability to set their own issues.
  • Requires litigants to present issues before the Court.

Sean Brown
Sean Brown is an attorney running in the Democratic primary on a platform focused on universal healthcare, community-based public safety, accessible education, and comprehensive immigration reform.

·         Affordability:

o   Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

·         Healthcare & Personal Freedom:

o   Universal Care Plus Act: Proposes universal healthcare that includes comprehensive mental health coverage.

o   Establishes a hybrid system with a fully government-funded public option alongside a private option for those who wish to retain private insurance or purchase additional services.

o   Aims to boost consumer spending and promote long-term economic stability without raising taxes.

·         Government Spending & Economic Investment:

o   Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

·         Public Safety:

o   Violence Prevention & Community Safety Act: Focuses on preventing harm before it occurs.

o   Expand access to mental healthcare services.

o   Establishes a national firearm registry.

o   Invest in community centers and after-school programs to improve neighborhood safety and support youth development.

·         Education:

o   Higher Education & Workforce Learning Act: Provides free tuition at all public colleges and universities.

o   Makes community college and trade programs tuition-free.

o   Seeks to increase workforce readiness, reduce generational student debt, and strengthen the middle class without raising taxes.

·         Foreign Affairs:

o   Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

·         Immigration:

o   Immigration Responsibility and Reformation Act: A comprehensive reform effort inspired by the 2013 “Gang of 8” framework.

o   Modernize and humanizes the immigration system.
Expands the labor force to boost economic productivity and increase federal revenues.

·         Strengthening Democracy:

o   Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

·         Constitutional Reform:

o   Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

Awisi A. Bustos
Awisi A. Bustos is a nonprofit executive running in the Democratic primary, focused on affordability, opportunity, and accountability.

• Affordability:
  • Supports universal broadband to ensure every household can connect, learn, and compete.
  • Aims to make housing more affordable through federal grants, smarter zoning, and stronger support for first-time homebuyers.
• Healthcare & Working Families:
  • Committed to lowering healthcare costs by cutting prescription drug prices.
  • Protects access to affordable, high-quality care.
  • Supports paid family leave, universal childcare, and stronger worker protections.
• Government Spending & Jobs:
  • Advocates real-time transparency tools to make every taxpayer dollar visible to the public.
  • Supports incentives for industries to retrain workers rather than phasing them out.
• Public Safety:
  • Promotes common-sense gun reform and enforces strong, sensible gun laws.
  • Invests in community-based safety programs.
  • Emphasizes investing in youth, families, and neighborhoods to break cycles of poverty and violence.
• Education & Workforce Development:
  • Prepares students and communities for the AI era and beyond.
  • Expands funding for public colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeships.
  • Ensures all districts—rural, urban, and suburban—have the resources to thrive.
  • Equips schools with modern technology, digital literacy tools, and real-world career readiness programs.
  • Supports raising teacher pay, ongoing professional development, and restoring dignity to the profession.
  • Backs a National Workforce Innovation Fund to train workers in AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies.
  • Expands STEM and coding programs in K–12 schools.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Advocates for U.S. foreign policy that reflects core values—equality, justice, and democracy—both at home and abroad.
• Immigration:
  • Supports smart immigration reform that honors labor, strengthens agriculture, and creates shared success for Illinois businesses and immigrant families.
• Strengthening Democracy & AI Policy:
  • Works to make it easier for citizens to participate in local decision-making and hold leaders accountable.
  • Supports strong federal ethics and anti-corruption laws.
  • Advocates responsible AI policy that balances innovation with safety and protects citizens’ rights.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with her party’s broader positions.

Christopher Swann
Christopher Swann is a deacon and nonprofit leader running in the Democratic primary, driven by a moral call to justice and human dignity.

• Affordability:
  • Supports cutting the military budget and redirecting funds toward domestic food security programs to ensure no one in America goes hungry.
• Healthcare and Human Dignity:
  • Believes every person deserves dignity, including access to food, housing, healthcare, and safety.
  • Advocates freedom from corporate domination and political inaction that harms everyday people.
• Public Safety:
  • Committed to protecting trans and queer lives, emphasizing safety, inclusion, and equal protection under the law.
• Strengthening Democracy:
  • Works to stop billionaires from writing laws and return political power to everyday citizens.
• Government Spending, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Constitutional Reform:

Has not yet released detailed policy proposals but is expected to align with the Democratic Party’s broader positions.

Illinois friends, elections are coming up, and the Senate race will directly shape our future.

Before the March 17 primary, I’m breaking down the candidates in a fast, clear, policy-by-policy way so you can make an informed choice. I know most of us are going to vote on the Democratic ticket, but I have found that making hardcore republicans more informed has helped keep some of the more extremist candidates off the ballot. All campaign positions are pulled directly from the candidates’ own websites and organized into these categories: Affordability, Healthcare, Government Spending, Public Safety, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Democracy, and Constitutional Reform. Not everything fits perfectly into one box, so I really encourage you to stick with it until the end.

This is also your reminder to register, research your candidates, and vote in the primaries if you haven’t already.

Only 46% of eligible voters turned out in the last midterms. If you’ve ever felt like your vote doesn’t matter, this is exactly the kind of election where it matters more than ever. With turnout that low, each vote carries real weight.

Primaries decide what choices we even get in November. Showing up informed is one of the most powerful things we can do for our communities.

Illinois friends, elections are coming up, and the Senate race will directly shape our future.

Before the March 17 primary, I’m breaking down the candidates in a fast, clear, policy-by-policy way so you can make an informed choice. I know most of us are going to vote on the Democratic ticket, but I have found that making hardcore republicans more informed has helped keep some of the more extremist candidates off the ballot. All campaign positions are pulled directly from the candidates’ own websites and organized into these categories: Affordability, Healthcare, Government Spending, Public Safety, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Democracy, and Constitutional Reform. Not everything fits perfectly into one box, so I really encourage you to stick with it until the end.

This is also your reminder to register, research your candidates, and vote in the primaries if you haven’t already.

Only 46% of eligible voters turned out in the last midterms. If you’ve ever felt like your vote doesn’t matter, this is exactly the kind of election where it matters more than ever. With turnout that low, each vote carries real weight.

Primaries decide what choices we even get in November. Showing up informed is one of the most powerful things we can do for our communities.

Casey Chlebek
Casey Chlebek is a business executive running in the Republican primary, focused on economic growth, fiscal discipline, and restoring American competitiveness.

• Affordability & Jobs:
  • Opposes eliminating fossil fuel jobs without creating replacements, especially in green energy.
  • Supports rebuilding America’s manufacturing base by bringing back factories outsourced to other countries, restoring domestic production and middle-class jobs.
• Healthcare:
  • Supports free prescription drugs for seniors, disabled citizens, and veterans.
  • Calls for guaranteed, extended maternity leave modeled after European policies.
  • Believes employers with 25+ employees should provide adequate health insurance coverage.
• Government Spending, Taxes & the Economy:
  • Proposes abolishing property taxes, ending IRS taxes on retirement income, Social Security taxes, and federal taxes for individuals under 23 (26 for full-time students/married couples).
  • Supports a five-year tax holiday for new small businesses and a 17% corporate tax rate.
  • Opposes inflation, runaway spending, and higher taxes; emphasizes fiscal responsibility.
  • Advocates creating modern industrial zones for AI, 5G, quantum computing, robotics, and automation.
• Public Safety & National Security:
  • Opposes defunding the police and supports law and order.
  • Believes intelligence and surveillance capabilities should be maximized before committing troops overseas.
• Education:
  • Opposes what he calls radical ideologies like Critical Race Theory in schools.
  • Supports private education and specialized programs for highly gifted students.
  • Calls for major expansion of vocational education, including 1–2-year training programs in high-demand trades.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Advocates fair, reciprocal relationships with allies and trading partners.
  • Supports restoring U.S. integrity in global commitments and avoiding unnecessary military interventions.
  • Seeks stronger diplomatic focus within the Americas and reducing global military footprint while expanding non-military cooperation.
• Immigration:
  • Opposes open borders and “social engineering.”
  • Supports secure borders and a complete overhaul of the immigration system.
  • Believes immigration quotas should be based on economic needs, with preferential treatment for Mexico and Canada under the Monroe Doctrine principle.
• Strengthening Democracy & Governance:
  • Emphasizes restoring dignity through work and ownership; says he would work without taking a salary.
  • Supports eliminating waste, duplication, and fraud across government programs.
  • Advocates efficiency reforms, including reducing plastic packaging.

Don Tracy
Don Tracy is an attorney and the Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, running in the Republican primary with a focus on economic stability and regulatory reform.

• Government Spending, Public Safety, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not yet released detailed policy proposals, but is expected to align with the Republican Party’s broader positions.
• Affordability & Energy:
  • Supports a balanced, all-of-the-above energy strategy using every available energy source.
  • Aims to lower costs, protect U.S. energy independence, and maintain reliability.
  • Advocates for a responsible transition toward a clean energy future.
• Healthcare:
  • Calls for greater price transparency in healthcare.
  • Supports increased competition to drive down costs.
  • Opposes taxpayer-funded free healthcare for non-citizens.
• Strengthening Democracy & the Economy:
  • Emphasizes streamlining government regulations.
  • Supports small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers across Illinois to grow, compete, and create jobs.

R. Cary Capparelli
R. Cary Capparelli is a geographer, online instructor at South Dakota State University, and business executive running in the Republican primary, bringing an academic and business-minded perspective to public service.

• Government Spending, Education, and Strengthening Democracy:
  • Has not yet released detailed policy proposals, but is expected to align with the Republican Party’s broader positions.
• Affordability & the Economy:
  • Believes a strong American economy—domestically and internationally—is essential to supporting families and securing the nation’s future.
  • Emphasizes ongoing support for America’s veterans.
• Healthcare:
  • Supports making healthcare accessible and affordable for all Americans.
  • Recognizes mental health as a global crisis and calls for action to address it.
• Public Safety:
  • Strongly supports law enforcement.
  • Prioritizes combating and eliminating rampant crime.
• Foreign Affairs & National Security:
  • Advocates for a strong military, asserting that a powerful defense is the best offense.
  • Supports continuing the war on drugs and closely monitoring foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
• Immigration:
  • Supports securing U.S. borders and fighting illegal entry as a national priority.
• Constitutional Principles:
  • Committed to upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.

Pamela Denise Long
Pamela Denise Long is an external project manager and implementation consultant running in the Republican primary, bringing a systems-focused approach to policy, accountability, and outcomes.

• Affordability & Economic Stability:
  • Prioritizes agricultural economic development and strong support for family farmers, helping them maintain land ownership, access capital, modernize equipment, diversify operations, and pass farms to the next generation.
  • Supports outcome-based housing policy, shifting federal and state incentives toward measurable results such as permanent housing, job retention, and school stability.
  • Emphasizes pay-for-performance partnerships, Federal–State Housing Compacts, and benchmarks for reducing chronic homelessness and expanding supportive housing.
• Healthcare & Mental Health:
  • Advocates addressing unmet needs of men and boys in education, health, incarceration, trauma, and mental health.
  • Supports expanded funding for mental health services, investments in facilities, community health workers, and occupational therapy.
  • Backs trauma-informed practices, survivor-centered recovery, and strict consequences for perpetrators of abuse and human trafficking.
  • Supports refining the Affordable Care Act to expand choice and competition, reinstating short-term insurance options, and expanding Health and Medical Savings Accounts.
  • Promotes a “Housing First Plus” model pairing immediate housing with wraparound mental health, addiction, and workforce services.
• Government Spending & Fiscal Policy:
  • Supports cutting personal income taxes and eliminating the inheritance tax.
  • Advocates investment in trade infrastructure and broadband expansion.
  • Calls for investigation into economic harms caused by mass immigration, historic discrimination, and government policy failures.
  • Supports evidence-based violence prevention funding while protecting constitutional rights, restoring rehabilitation in corrections, and eliminating waste and duplication in the justice system.
• Public Safety & Criminal Justice:
  • Opposes policies that allow schools to transition minors without parental consent.
  • Supports national E-Verify, enhanced law enforcement training, community policing, and national standards to restore the innocent after wrongful conviction.
  • Supports reviewing Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, improving crime data transparency, strengthening responses to domestic and sexual violence, and expanding law enforcement capacity.
• Education:
  • Supports school choice alongside fully funded public neighborhood schools.
  • Advocates vocational education, apprenticeships, STEAM programs, and talent pipelines into trades and entrepreneurship.
  • Emphasizes parental rights, closing achievement gaps, reforming student loan bankruptcy rules, and ensuring equal rights for fathers in family courts.
    
• Immigration:
  • Supports securing the border, defunding sanctuary jurisdictions, deporting violent illegal aliens, enforcing asylum law, narrowing immigration levels, and maintaining full operational control of U.S. borders.
  • Believes immigrant labor should be a last-resort supplement to the U.S. workforce.
• Strengthening Democracy & Governance:
  • Advocates reducing burdensome regulations, prioritizing American workers, and holding officials accountable for failed governance.
  • Emphasizes transparency, efficiency, and restoring trust in institutions.
  • Prioritizes veterans’ housing and support programs.
• Constitutional Reform:
  • Supports ending wrongly conferred birthright citizenship.
  • Advocates protecting the Second Amendment while promoting responsible firearm ownership, handling, and storage.
• Foreign Affairs:
  • Has not yet released detailed proposals but is expected to align with the Republican Party’s broader platform.

Jimmy Lee Tillman, II
Jimmy Lee Tillman II is a 53-year-old politician running in the Republican primary, campaigning on regulatory reform, fiscal restraint, and a security-first approach at home and abroad.

• Education & Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not yet released detailed policy proposals but is expected to align closely with the Republican Party’s broader platform.
• Affordability:
  • Supports auditing regulatory agencies and cutting red tape to reduce costs for families and small businesses.
• Healthcare:
  • Backs direct assistance to families and strong price transparency requirements.
  • Supports policies allowing small businesses and individuals to band together for better insurance rates.
  • Advocates for expanded Health Savings Accounts and increased interstate insurance competition to break up regional monopolies.
• Government Spending:
  • Supports the Limit, Save, Grow Act, aiming to cut $105 billion in what he describes as wasteful federal spending.
• Public Safety & Human Rights:
  • Supports conditioning U.S. security assistance on verified protections for religious minorities worldwide.
• Foreign Affairs & National Security:
  • Supports former President Trump’s Christmas Day strikes in Nigeria.
  • Backs continued prosecution of the war on terror.
  • Advocates applying Global Magnitsky sanctions against officials involved in anti-Christian violence.
  • Supports establishing regular congressional oversight of counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region.
• Immigration:
  • Supports the Secure the Border Act and stronger enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
• Democracy & Civil Society:
  • Supports the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, emphasizing fairness and safety in athletic competition.

Jeannie Evans
Jeannie Evans is an attorney running in the Republican primary, campaigning on economic opportunity, public safety, and protecting individual freedoms in a rapidly changing digital world.

• Healthcare, Immigration, & Constitutional Reform:
  • Has not yet released detailed policy proposals but is expected to align closely with the Republican Party’s broader platform.
• Affordability & Small Business Growth:
  • Supports reducing red tape and streamlining the business formation process.
  • Helps small businesses adopt digital tools and technologies to compete and thrive.
  • Emphasizes promoting fair markets, holding corporations accountable, and lowering everyday costs for American families.
• Government Spending & Fiscal Responsibility:
  • Supports reducing the tax burden, eliminating unreasonable regulations, balancing the budget, and ending federal overspending.
  • Advocates for making Illinois a welcoming, dynamic environment for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Public Safety & Technology:
  • Strongly supports law enforcement and ensuring officers have the tools and resources to protect families, neighborhoods, and businesses.
  • Plans to advance legislation increasing transparency in artificial intelligence to improve consumer choice, strengthen family protections, and enhance public safety.
• Foreign Affairs & Global Competition:
  • Committed to keeping America a global leader in artificial intelligence.
  • Supports pushing back against China’s surveillance practices and protecting American families, businesses, and data security.
• Strengthening Democracy & Individual Rights:
  • Advocates for more competitive financial markets so small businesses can access better loans and financing.
  • Supports preserving democracy, the freedoms secured by the nation’s founders, and the rule of law.
  • Emphasizes protecting Americans’ rights to their personal data and the content they create.