Have you seen the commercials for the Democratic candidates who are running for Dick Durbin’s seat in Congress? Sometimes it’s difficult to look beyond the commercials and choose the best candidate. To make a better choice, five of our members took the train to Chicago on Friday, February 6, to attend the Senate debate hosted by the progressive radio station, WCPT 820 AM. Talk show hosts Richard Chew, Joan Esposito, and Patti Vasquez were the moderators who questioned three of the leading candidates: Lt. Gov. Juliana Straton, Representative Robin Kelly, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Each candidate answered the same question and had an opportunity for rebuttal of another’s candidate’s comments on several major topics. Below are some of the answers that candidates gave.
Question: How can we hold the Trump administration accountable?
Robin said that one way is to file articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem and other officials in the Department of Homeland Security who have broken the law. Raja’s response was that Democrats need to stand firm to stop the funding until changes are made. He wants masks off and cameras on and no more roving gangs of ICE employees searching randomly for immigrants. Juliana stated that Raja had voted to thank ICE and to fund ICE. His rebuttal was that he voted for funding to stop antisemitism. Juliana fired back that we need to abolish ICE, and there should be no funding for it at all and no immunity for people who have broken the law. They need to be prosecuted. Raja accused Juliana of saying she would transfer ICE duties to Customs and Border Patrol. Juliana denied that she said that. Robin joined the funding debate by saying that we should dismantle ICE and she would not vote for funding ICE if Kristi Noem is in charge. She said that the U.S. needs Border Patrol, but changes need to be made, and Border Patrol needs to operate differently than it currently does so people have their due process rights.
Question: Millions of people in the U.S. have lost their healthcare. What can we do about it?
The crisis for millions of people was caused by the ending of the ACA subsidies. Both Juliana and Robin agreed that they support Medicare for All. Robin said she has always supported Medicare for All and introduced the CARE for MOMs Act so that women and newborns could get care after birth. She thinks all states should extend Medicaid coverage for women and newborn children to one year after birth instead of the 60 days required in some states. Juliana said that several years ago, she was dealing with her mom’s healthcare issues when the insurance companies were trying to strip away some healthcare services that seniors had. She considers universal healthcare a human right, not a privilege. She pointed out that Raja is the candidate in the race who is the largest recipient of money from healthcare companies. He responded that if he was voting on the issue today, he would vote for Medicare for All. He said that 11 hospitals in his district are in danger of closing because people without insurance cannot pay for services. Raja thinks the U.S. should lower the age required to qualify for Medicare.
Question: Why don’t the rich pay their fair share of taxes?
Questions about taxes and campaign contributions caused further debate. Robin believes that tax loopholes need to be cut so that wealthy people pay their fair share of taxes. If the top 10 richest Americans paid a 3% tax on their wealth, it would generate $50 billion annually to provide educational and childcare services in underserved areas of our country. Raja said that the vast majority of our tax benefits go to the wealthy. He believes property taxes should be lowered, and the government should invest in education so everyone benefits. Juliana said that the wealthy just keep getting wealthier because people in power gives their rich friends tax breaks. She said the middle class, which shoulders a lot of the tax burden, should get a tax break.
The three candidates argued about campaign support with Juliana stating that she is the only candidate not accepting corporate PACs. This statement angered Robin and Raja. Robin said that Juliana received $5 million in super Pac support, and Robin and Raja pointed out that the independent PACs giving money to Juliana accept corporate support. Juliana responded that she received that support from friends, and she is proud of Governor Pritzker’s endorsement along with endorsements from Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren. Raja did not deny receiving corporate support and said that all of them need corporate support to be in the race. All three agreed that the U.S. needs campaign finance reform and legislation that bans people in Congress from trading stocks and taking dark money. Both Robin and Juliana said that people can look at their individual records and see who has contributed money and who has endorsed them.
All three agreed that Americans need to take action now. Juliana said these are unprecedented times and we need to stand up, speak out, and protest in a safe manner. Robin stated that we cannot get weary. We have to get off the sidelines and stop the madness without taking the bait, which could cause more escalation. Raja said that he would support a general strike to show disapproval of the administration’s policies. He mentioned residents in his district who have been mistreated and injured by ICE.
For their closing arguments, the candidates discussed changes that need to be made now. Trump’s remarks about the upcoming election are disturbing to everyone. Robin believes we have to eliminate gerrymandering and fight redistricting at the state level. Raja is concerned that ICE will try to intimidate people around polling places and believes that Illinois needs to take steps to be sure people feel safe when they vote. Juliana said that Trump wears a hat that says 2028, and she believes he wants to run for a third term. Congress needs to adopt the John Lewis Voting Act, which provides voting protections. It has been passed in the House several times but held up in the Senate because of filibusters. Americans need to be on guard, know what is going on, and demand fair elections.
If you need more information about these three candidates and others running for the Senate position, search the debate on YouTube.
