Common Sense Solutions

I stepped up to run for the U.S. Senate because I saw what career politicians with extreme agendas are doing to our country.

From open borders to taxpayer-funded benefits for non-citizens, from boys in girls' sports to defunding the police, this far-left agenda is too extreme for everyday Illinoisans. Especially when we see the results in Chicago, where violent criminals are let back onto the streets and Mayor Brandon Johnson calls law enforcement a "sickness."

Meanwhile, career politicians like my opponents are playing political games instead of helping people. We saw this with the record-long government shutdown, where politicians were willing to withhold food from needy children, support from farmers, and pay from military families, all to gain what they called "political leverage."

We need a strong leader who will champion common sense solutions over extreme agendas. That's why I'm running.

I've been blessed to have lived the American Dream, and I want everyone—including my grandchildren—to have the opportunity to achieve and experience their own version of the American Dream.

Yet, the sky-high cost-of-living in Illinois has made the American Dream seem out of reach for many everyday Illinoisans. Utility prices are at record highs, housing costs are pushing seniors out of their homes and discouraging young people from starting their families, gas and groceries are way too high, and health care costs keep rising at an unsustainable pace. The American Dream is like a fantasy when you're just struggling to survive.

Illinois working families need someone who will work for them in Washington. I've spent my career working for families and small businesses. I'm ready to take that fight to the US Senate, where my top priority will be to lower the cost-of-living.

I will push for common sense solutions that make life more affordable for working families. This includes lowering energy and gas costs, health care costs, taxes, and inflation. I will also work to improve the economy and support small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers throughout Illinois.

My Democratic opponents are all career politicians who have driven up the cost-of-living for all of us. Why? To support the special interests and lobbyists who fund their campaigns and to placate their extreme progressive base.

I will work for everyday Illinoisans, not special interests or extreme agendas. Unlike my career politician opponents, I understand the struggles of working families. I started working in the warehouse of our family business when I was 10 years old. I've run a small business and had to sacrifice to make payroll. I've raised a family and know how hard it can be to put food on the table.

Because of these experiences, I will be the voice for everyday Illinoisans in Washington.

That has never been more important. The U.S. Senate seat I am running for is open because Springfield resident Dick Durbin is retiring. When he retires, all statewide elected officials in Illinois will reside in Chicago or Cook County—and that's where my Democratic opponents are all from as well. That means the other 101 counties in Illinois will not have representation.

That's why voters need to elect me to the U.S. Senate. I will represent all of Illinois, not just Chicago.

I have deep ties to all of Illinois. I was born in Urbana in Eastern Illinois, raised in Mt. Sterling in Western Illinois, and I raised my own family in Springfield in Central Illinois. I have helped lead statewide civic organizations. I have represented families, farmers, and small businesses throughout Illinois.

This experience has shown me just how diverse our state is. That's why we need a strong leader who can ensure every Illinoisan has a voice in Washington.

It's the everyday Illinoisans who make up this state, and I will be proud to bring their voices to the halls of Congress. I will fight with everything I have so everyone in our great state can pursue the American Dream.