Meet Nikki Budzinski, 13th Congressional District candidate for Illinois

Editor's note: Early voting for the June 28 primary starts May 19. The State Journal-Register asked some candidates in contested races to answer questions related to the office they seek. 

Professional background: I have spent my career fighting for issues that support working families. I’m running for Congress to help rebuild the middle class by bringing people together to get things done and to help working families keep more of what they earn.

I am a labor activist who is proud to have spent a decade of my career working in the labor movement. I worked for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to help first responders, who put their lives on the line for us every day, have the equipment, training, and safe staffing they need to do their jobs. I also worked for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) making sure that retail workers and meatpackers got a fair day’s pay, affordable healthcare, and workplace protections at dangerous processing plants. I have always stood up for a worker’s right to join a union and support a worker’s right to collectively bargain for good wages, health care, retirement security and safe working conditions. While serving in Governor Pritzker’s administration I led initiatives that directly supported working families in Central and Southwestern Illinois. I lead the effort to successfully pass a statewide minimum wage in Illinois to $15 an hour. I chaired the Broadband Advisory Council in Governor Pritzker’s administration and worked to jump start Connect Illinois, an historic investment in high-speed internet access. In each of these initiatives I brought together people with a diversity of opinions and perspectives to the table to help get things done for working families.

Most recently, I served as the Chief of Staff at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in President Biden’s administration. The Office of Management and Budget played a critical role in implementation of the American Rescue Plan providing immediate COVID-relief to working families struggling to make ends meet and which included the child tax cut for working families. Additionally, I helped establish the Made in America Office at the OMB, helping to ensure American workers and companies are the priority in federal government.

More:Newcomers battle over open seat in Illinois' 13th Congressional District

Educational background: I am a proud University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumna. It would be an honor to have the opportunity to represent my alma mater in Congress! As President of College Democrats I met many lifelong friends at UIUC.

Family background: My paternal grandpa was a union painter in Peoria, Illinois. My maternal grandparents were teachers in Dixon, Illinois and members of the Illinois Education Association. They taught me about the dignity of work and the importance of the labor movement to their pathway to the middle class.

My parents, Cheryl and Ron Budzinski, met in Peoria where I was born. My dad, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign architectural graduate had a successful career in architecture before retiring and is now a community activist with Jobs Partnerships, a reentry and training life skills program offered in the Peoria community and in IL correctional facilities. My mom, a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is a community leader, having served in several different roles with the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Greater Peoria. Mom served on the Peoria County Board and set the best example for good public service and government. My parents taught me the value of community involvement and the importance of public service.

I am a proud aunt to my sister and brother in-law’s three children- Noah, Emma and Will. Noah was born with Down syndrome and with medical needs including hearing impairment. When elected I will always be a strong advocate for special needs children like my nephew Noah, who need extra love and support to reach their full potential. I am a dog-mom to my precocious two year old dog Lulu, who lives for cheese, peanut butter, and retrieving her ball.

Agriculture is one of downstate Illinois' biggest industries. What key changes would you seek in federal ag policy to benefit Illinois farmers?

Agriculture is critically important to Illinois’ economy, in particular Central and Southern Illinois. Illinois is the #1 producer of soybeans and #2 producer of corn nationally, two immediate examples of the importance of our agrarian economy. In Congress I will be partner working to ensure that federal agriculture policy is providing support to family farmers, investing in food security and the health of all Illinoisans.

There are a number of federal agriculture policy changes that I think could change to benefit Illinois farmers. First, I support permitting the year round sales of E15, gasoline that uses a 15% ethanol blend. This will not only help us to address rising gas prices but also support Illinois farmers while reducing carbon emissions.

Note: this response was edited for length. 

Toxic political polarization has permeated the landscape. How will you work to heal the divide?

I have experience bringing people together and building coalitions to get things done for working families. Rebuilding the middle class and supporting working families should not be a partisan issue. I’ll work to find common ground with Democrats and Republicans to support middle class tax cuts like the earned child tax credit, reduce the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare and insurance companies to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and incentivize creating more manufacturing jobs and opportunities right here in Central and Southwestern Illinois.

Bringing people together to get things done is an important part of why I'm running for Congress. I commit to listen and collaborate with both parties while keeping a focus on the issues that matter most to working families which can break through the current political environment.

In 2020, a record 45,222 people died from gun injuries in the U.S. including suicide and murder, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. What, if anything, should be done to control guns?

I support the second amendment, but gun violence is an epidemic in our country. In order to address the root causes of gun violence we must have a multi-step strategy that engages all parts of the community. We can take some immediate common sense gun safety steps like passing universal background checks and red flag laws in Congress. We also need to stop the proliferation of illegal guns -including untraceable guns- coming into Illinois and being used for violence. But equally important is investing in our communities and creating opportunity to help to head off the gun violence epidemic.

We need to continue to focus on creating good paying jobs and investments in vocational education and community college opportunities. Additionally, we need to prioritize mental health investment making sure that people are getting access to the healthcare they need. We need to be making investments in law enforcement, specifically community policing that include street intervention programs. And I applaud cities like Champaign, who are using American Rescue Plan dollars to invest in a comprehensive strategy to tackle gun violence in their community.

Contact Andrew Adams: aadams1@gannett.com; (312)-291-1417; twitter.com/drewjayadams.