By Hola America News
Rockford, IL – Last week, I was officially removed from the Democratic primary ballot in Illinois 17th Congressional District following the petition objection process. While I respect the laws that govern our elections, I am deeply disappointed that a technical process has been used to keep a grassroots, working class campaign off the ballot and away from voters who deserve a real choice.
From the beginning, our campaign was not about a title or a line of text on a ballot. It was about a promise. A promise that the people of IL 17 deserve a representative who is not satisfied with business as usual. Someone who will fight for our future, not simply protect their own future in politics.
Over these past months on the campaign trail, we built something powerful together. We traveled from Rockford to Peoria, from Bloomington to Galesburg, and into small towns that rarely see a congressional campaign up close. We showed up at union halls, community centers, campuses, church basements, local diners, and living rooms. We listened to workers getting squeezed by rising costs. We heard from students buried under debt and doubt. We met seniors who gave everything to this country and now feel like they are being asked to survive on less and less.
Everywhere we went, the story was the same. People are working hard, playing by the rules, and still feel like the system is tilted away from them. They are tired of leaders in Washington who speak in safe talking points, then quietly vote in ways that protect the status quo. They are tired of elected officials who settle for half measures and carefully triangulated positions when what this moment requires is moral clarity and courage.
Our current representative has had a chance to show what kind of leader they want to be. Too often, what we have seen is caution instead of conviction. A willingness to sit comfortably in the middle of the road instead of standing firmly on the side of working people. When big corporations and special interests needed reassurance that nothing would fundamentally change, they got it. When struggling families needed a champion who would push beyond what is easy or convenient, they got careful branding and poll tested lines.
While the incumbent settled into the familiar rhythms of Washington, we chose a different path here at home. Our campaign did not belong to lobbyists, political insiders, or corporate PACs. It belonged to the people of this district. We were powered by small donors, volunteers, and neighbors who saw in this campaign a reflection of their own struggles and their own hopes. We did not duck the hard conversations. We took them head on. We talked about a twenty dollar minimum wage, about reproductive freedom, about labor rights, about climate action, about affordable housing, about real investments in rural communities, about gun violence, about voting rights, and about a democracy that finally works for the people who keep this country running.
To my team, I want to say this clearly and publicly. Thank you. Thank you for every late night, every early morning, every long drive across this district. Thank you for knocking doors in the cold, for making calls when you were exhausted, for chasing down signatures, for registering new voters, for telling the story of this campaign with pride and integrity. You built this effort the way real movements are built, one person at a time, one conversation at a time. You showed what it means for politics to be an act of service, not an act of self promotion.
To our volunteers and supporters, you have my deepest gratitude. You opened your homes, your wallets, and your hearts. You brought your kids to events. You trusted me with your stories and your fears. You dared to believe that someone who looks like you, who comes from where you come from, could stand up and say that our future is worth fighting for, and then actually mean it. That faith is sacred to me, and I do not take it lightly.
Being removed from the ballot is a setback, but it is not a verdict on our vision. It reveals something about our system, not about our worth. The truth is that our political system too often rewards those who already hold power and throws up barriers in front of new voices, especially young, working class, Black and Brown candidates who are not backed by big corporations or insider networks. But history teaches us something important. When the door gets slammed in the face of the people, the people organize. They regroup. They come back stronger.
The challenges that pushed us into this race are still very real. Families are still struggling with the cost of living. Hospitals are still closing in rural communities. Climate disasters are still hitting our towns. Workers are still being underpaid and overworked. Young people are still watching their rights and their future debated like political theater instead of treated as a moral obligation.
So let me say this plainly. This is only the beginning. This is not a goodbye. It is merely an until next time. The energy we built, the relationships we formed, and the vision we cast for a more just and hopeful future will not disappear because my name is not on the ballot this cycle. Our purpose has always been bigger than one race. We have always been about fighting for our future.
In the coming days, more will be announced about what comes next and how we will continue to organize, lift up our communities, and fight for our future together. Whether it is through future campaigns, community organizing, advocacy, or new vehicles for change, my commitment to IL 17 remains the same. I am still here. I am still rooted in this district. I am still determined to build a politics that sees every person, every town, and every story as worthy of dignity and power.
Our campaign might be pausing, but our movement is not. IL 17 deserves a representative as bold as its people. I still believe in that future. I still believe in you. And I am not done fighting for our future.
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