Champion Common Sense Solutions, Not Extreme Agendas

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

They're against securing the border. They support giving taxpayer-funded benefits to non-citizens. They promote boys playing in girls' sports. They defund the police. And they favor criminals over victims.

We see the results of this far-left agenda in Chicago, where violent criminals are let back onto the streets while Mayor Brandon Johnson calls law enforcement a "sickness." Working families and businesses are fleeing, and those that remain beg for a common sense approach that keeps our neighborhoods safe by holding criminals accountable and providing work and educational opportunities so our young people never turn to a life of crime.

Instead, these career politicians play 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 pursue what they called "political leverage."

Someone has to champion common sense. That's why I'm running.

I grew up in Western Illinois, where there are now more deer than people. Like most people in the 1950s and 1960s, my Mom and Dad married, bought a home, had lots of kids, worked hard for everything they had, went to church on Sundays, supported their local community through civic activities, and gave their kids a strong work ethic.

I started working at age 10 in our family business's first warehouse, a two-car garage, and worked my way through grade school, high school, college, and law school. Now I've been practicing law for several decades, the last 30 years at Illinois' oldest law firm, Brown, Hay & Stephens, where Abraham Lincoln first practiced law. My wife and I raised our four children in Central Illinois and now get to enjoy eight grandkids.

My family's story proves you can find success in America if you work hard. My dad started with nothing in 1960—he just hauled food. But our family worked hard, and through that, created opportunities for thousands of people to pursue the American Dream.

It hasn't been easy. It's taken hard work by many and countless sacrifices. But 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 American Dream.

I have seen the value of a hard day's work. It leads to happier, healthier lifestyles. It helps people think of others and improves mental health. It creates stronger families and communities. I want everyone to have opportunities to pursue a rewarding and fulfilling career.

That's common sense. That's how we make sure the American Dream is in reach for every Illinoisan.