Endorsements

Robert Peters for Congress
(D, IL-2)

Before running for state-level office, Robert spent years with The People’s Lobby as our Political Director. As State Senator for the 13th District and a leading voice in the Illinois General Assembly, he has been a leader in reimagining public safety. He was the chief sponsor of the SAFE-T Act and the Pretrial Fairness Act, landmark legislation that ended money bond, invests in community-based alternatives to incarceration, and transforms police accountability and transparency. Robert also co-sponsored the Illinois FAIR Act, which overhauls the state’s public defense system by creating an independent State Public Defender Commission and Office of the State Public Defender.

Robert has consistently championed a progressive vision for Illinois that centers safety, dignity, and economic justice.

Anthony Driver for Congress
(D, IL-7)

As an advisor to the City Council, Anthony worked closely with Chicago Gig Alliance, The People’s Lobby’s rideshare organizing team, advising us as we crafted our ordinance. When he became president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), he made sure we had a seat at the table for important conversations about driver safety.

We know from personal experience that Anthony will continue to work and organize with us to improve pay and conditions for workers, address the root causes of crime, and keep families together by ending mass deportations under ICE.

Sunjay Kumar for State Representative (D, IL-13)

Sunjay Kumar has been a progressive champion going back a decade to his time organizing with The People’s Lobby’s preceding organization, IIRON.

His commitment to the progressive community is deep and inspiring: as a community organizer, Sunjay has led campaigns advocating for public safety for all, immigrant and LGBTQ rights, and racial justice, and as a community leader with Asian American Midwest Progressives, he worked to elect progressives at the state and local levels. He will be an excellent co-governance partner, and we look forward to working with Sunjay for many years to come.

Ben McAdams for State Senate (D, IL-24)

While in college, double majoring in finance and economics, Ben became involved with local activism and went on to become a community organizer after graduation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ben began law school at DePaul University’s College of Law. In law school he focused his studies on Public Interest Law, becoming a member of the school’s Society for Asylum and Immigration Law (SAIL), and earning an award for the highest grade in his Civil Rights Law class. While at DePaul, Ben worked for several legal non-profit organizations including the National Immigrant Justice Center, and Citizen Advocacy Center. Ben’s track record shows that he shares The People’s Lobby’s values, and we look forward to working with him in the Statehouse.

Karina Villa for Illinois Comptroller

Karina first ran for State Senate during the budget impasse under Governor Bruce Rauner, as she saw her social work clients suffer under the slashing of public services. Our communities are facing similar conditions now, at the federal level, as services are cut to fund corporate tax breaks and pay for programs like ICE that actively harm us.

As State Senator, she worked closely with us to move progressive revenue solutions forward in Springfield during the 2025 legislative session.

As Comptroller, the elected official who serves as a watchdog for how our state’s tax money is spent, she’ll be able to protect Illinois communities by addressing budget shortfalls in progressive ways, like closing corporate tax loopholes and implementing a graduated income tax, not by slashing vital programs like housing, health care, and education.

Jessica Vasquez for Cook County Board of Commissioners, District 8

Jessica Vasquez has dedicated her career to advancing equity through public service and grassroots advocacy. Born and raised in Belmont Cragin, she was appointed 8th District Cook County Commissioner in May 2025. Jessica has over 13 years of experience working at community nonprofits and local government. She has helped secure affordable housing developments, manage participatory infrastructure projects, and helped win progressive policies such as Chicago’s One Fair Wage ordinance and a ban on civil arrests at Cook County Courthouses.

As Commissioner, Jessica focuses on healthcare access, property tax relief, and expanding county resources. She holds degrees from DePaul University and the University of Chicago and lives in Logan Square with her partner and rescue cat.

Wesam Shahed for Cook County Board of Commissioners, District 6

Wesam Shahed, a first-generation Palestinian-American born and raised in Chicagoland, has dedicated his career to fighting for fairness and justice. He began as a Cook County prosecutor, later advised State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on criminal justice reform, and now serves as Senior Legislative Counsel to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, working every day to make government deliver for working families.

Named to the Arab American Foundation’s 30 Under 30 and a TED speaker on justice and accountability, Wesam is also a grassroots organizer who has mobilized voters across the South Suburbs. He’s committed to fixing our broken property tax system, reducing the cost of living, and building a county that works for all of us—not just the wealthy few.

Congresswoman Delia Ramirez – (D, IL-3)

Before running for office, Delia served as the founding Executive Director of the Center for Changing Lives and as Board Chair of both the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA).

She is the daughter of immigrant parents and was the first Guatemalan-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. Delia established a legislative housing committee, successfully passed legislation expanding affordable housing, expanding Medicaid coverage for senior citizens regardless of immigration status, and creating an elected school board in the City of Chicago.

State Rep. Will Guzzardi – 39

Since taking office in 2014, Will Guzzardi has earned a place among the leading progressive voices in Illinois politics by consistently writing and passing progressive legislation. He introduced and passed the $15 minimum wage, has fought for prescription access for everyone, and continues to call out corporate Democrats who give tax breaks to corporations while cutting services to communities.

As the founder of the Illinois House Progressive Caucus, Will worked with The People’s Lobby for several years on various pieces of legislation to close corporate tax loopholes, reclaiming more than $875 million since his election.

State Rep. Lilian Jimenez – 4

Lilian Jiménez grew up on the Southeast Side of Chicago and has spent her career working on immigration, worker protection, and COVID response. She previously served as Director of Policy and Chief of Staff for Jesus “Chuy” Garcia during his tenure as Cook County Commissioner. Jiménez also served as Director of the Fair Labor Standards Division at the Illinois Department of Labor. As an elected official, she serves as a powerful ally on The People’s Lobby campaigns from criminal justice reform to living wages for gig workers and beyond.

State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe – 19

As a State Representative, Lindsey was instrumental in passing HB1085, working with The People’s Lobby to expand access to mental health care for millions in Illinois by requiring private insurers to raise the rates at which mental health and substance abuse providers are paid to be more in line with physical health care providers. She also supported and helped ensure the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which ended cash bail in Illinois. She championed legislation that ensures people with disabilities living in group homes keep all the wages they earn, as well as emergency housing legislation. Throughout the pandemic, she has been an advocate for folks applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, putting pressure on the Illinois Department of Employment Security to make the unemployment benefits system less burdensome.

State Rep. Anne Stava – 81

Anne Stava is a strong advocate for fully funded public education, environmental justice, and workers’ rights. As a State Representative, she has consistently opposed school privatization and led efforts to support progressive taxation, alternatives to incarceration, and reproductive rights. Her commitment to a fair and equitable Illinois positions her as a champion for the policies we seek to implement at the state level.

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid – 21

As State Representative, Abdelnasser Rashid has put people, families, and communities first, not corporate special interests. He is fighting to root out corruption, fund public education, and work to fix the broken property tax system that punishes working families while giving huge corporations major tax cuts. He is co-chair of the Illinois Generative AI and Natural Language Processing Task Force. He is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Cook County Clerk David Orr, former Field Director for Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for Mayor, and former Illinois Deputy State Director for Bernie Sanders for President. Rashid is the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois legislature.

State Sen. Graciela Guzmán – 20

As State Senator, she has advanced progressive electoral wins on the Northwest Side by focusing on economic and environmental justice, access to housing and public transportation, and justice for immigrants, refugees, workers, women, and people with disabilities. Before running for office, Guzmán was a community leader and an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union. She is the daughter of refugees and the first in her family to go to college. She is dedicated to cogovernance and centering her policy-making around those who will be most directly impacted by those policies.

State Sen. Celina Villanueva – 12

Born and raised in Chicago, Celina Villanueva is committed to building power and uplifting under-resourced and marginalized communities through her work. After joining the legislature in 2018, she led efforts to include strong social equity measures in the state’s cannabis laws so that communities harmed by failed drug policies would not be abandoned and prohibit law enforcement from working with ICE. Celina has championed legislation to expand and protect reproductive rights, workers’ rights, immigrant rights, and environmental justice protections. Before, she worked at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Chicago Votes.