It's not that we need more Democrats in Springfield—we just need better ones.

Housing costs are rising. ICE continues to terrorize our most vulnerable neighbors. Our pension system faces long-term structural pressure.

And our current state senator is ignoring the crises we’re in.

With just three weeks until Election Day, we have a choice about what kind of leadership we send to the Illinois Senate. Because here’s the truth at the core of this race:

It’s not that we need more Democrats in Springfield—we just need better ones.

In my candidate questionnaire with the Chicago Sun-Times, I laid out in detail exactly how I would meet this moment—with urgency, structural reform, and the courage to take on tough issues directly.

Housing and Affordability

We face a two-part crisis: people who want to buy homes can’t because the housing stock doesn’t exist, and long-time renters and homeowners are being priced out of neighborhoods we love, whether due to skyrocketing property taxes—some up more than 100% in the last year—or ballooning rents. Over 300,000 housing units are missing across Illinois, and this shortage affects cities from Chicago to Champaign, Rockford, and beyond. At the state level, we need to use every tool available. That starts with zoning reform: legalizing four-flats, coach houses, and other diverse housing types statewide would expand options in high-demand neighborhoods.

We also need property tax reform. Many long-time residents are being priced out despite existing caps and exemptions, while commercial properties often avoid paying their fair share. Enforcing the laws we already have and creating predictable formulas for property taxes and rent increases—such as indexing increases to inflation—would protect residents from being squeezed.

We also need to lower the cost of construction. Many building codes are outdated by decades, driving up costs unnecessarily. Modernizing these codes—while keeping safety and climate standards—can make new housing more attainable. Cities across the country, from Seattle to New York, and states like Montana and Texas, have successfully implemented similar reforms on codes such as staircases or elevators.

Housing is not just a policy problem; it’s a community issue. Families in Lakeview, Lincoln Park, North Center, and across the North Side are leaving for the suburbs simply because they can not find homes that meet their needs. I have heard this directly from neighbors during our campaign, after knocking on over 70,000 doors across the district. I will be a fighter for housing in Springfield. The state can no longer sit on task force reports and do nothing. Illinois needs bold solutions, predictable rules, and leaders willing to act. I am ready to deliver on all three.

Fighting ICE

Operation Midway Blitz, as carried out by the Trump administration, has been an abuse of federal power that has traumatized Chicago communities—especially immigrants and their families. The use of masked and unidentified federal agents, militarized crowd-control tactics, and intimidation of journalists and community members has no place in a democratic society.

My roots are in organizing, and organizing means more than issuing statements after the fact—it means showing up and putting your body on the line when your neighbors are under attack. I have done that. I was pepper-balled by federal agents while peacefully protesting outside the Broadview ICE facility last year. Seeing weapons of war turned on civilians and peaceful demonstrators—including faith leaders and legal observers—made clear how urgent this moment is. We are not in normal times.

Illinois can not rely on court orders or temporary pauses in enforcement. We must act boldly through state law. That includes mirroring California’s recent law requiring transparency and identification when federal agents operate in Illinois. We should also significantly invest in legal defense, rapid-response networks, and trauma-informed services for families impacted by these raids. The harm inflicted by these operations does not disappear when enforcement pauses—it lingers for years. If we are serious about defending immigrant communities, we must be willing to confront federal overreach directly and codify protections so they can not be swept aside by the next administration.

Democrats can not claim to stand with immigrants while staying silent when abuses occur in our own neighborhoods–including Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and North Center. Illinois should lead with courage, clarity, and action—and I am running to be the kind of state senator who understands the urgency of this moment and is willing to fight day and night for our most vulnerable neighbors.

The Pension Crisis

Illinois’ pension crisis demands solutions that are fiscally responsible, grounded in evidence, and focused on the future, not short-term fixes. First, we must honor our obligations. Public employees earned their pensions, and protecting retirement security is non-negotiable.

Second, Illinois must modernize how government operates. With more than 7,000 units of government, we have layers of duplication that drive up administrative costs. For example, when Evanston voters dissolved Evanston Township a decade ago and folded its functions into the city, taxpayers saved nearly $780,000 in the first year alone, largely through reduced administrative and staffing costs. My own work in Chicago city government modernizing programs using research, data, and community input showed that streamlining can deliver better outcomes with limited resources.

Third, we can not simply tax our way out of this crisis. Illinois needs bold structural revenue reform: stabilizing property tax formulas and limiting loopholes, reducing reliance on regressive taxes, and adopting a graduated state income tax so those with the greatest ability to pay contribute fairly.

Finally, pension investment policy itself matters. I support repealing a state law my opponent sponsored that requires the Illinois Investment Policy Board to place companies that boycott Israel on a restricted investment list. This repeal would not mandate divestment or direct investments; it would simply restore fiduciary discretion so pension boards can make decisions based on financial performance, risk management, and long-term stability, rather than political mandates written into statute. How we invest public pension funds is also a moral question. At a moment when there is a genocide in Gaza and widespread concern about human rights violations, Illinois should not force its pension systems to ignore human rights risks or limit responsible investment options. Pension funds exist to protect workers’ retirements—not to advance political litmus tests that can undermine returns and ethical accountability. According to publicly cited estimates, this law has cost the pension system roughly $149 million in lost returns over the last decade.

Solving the pension crisis requires honoring workers, modernizing government, reforming revenue, and restoring responsible, evidence-based investment authority. That is the bold, structural change Illinois needs.