Here’s a BND Voter Guide for candidates running for Congress in Illinois election

Welcome to the Belleville News-Democrat’s Voter Guide for the congressional races in the Nov. 8 election in Illinois.

The News-Democrat has contacted the candidates running for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and asked them to complete a candidate questionnaire.

While this article has information about congressional candidates, you can go to this page at bnd.com to get links to read about candidates running for governor, state legislative and county positions.

Here are the responses from the congressional candidates who have replied: (The candidates are listed alphabetically.)

U.S. Senate

NAME: TAMMY DUCKWORTH

Political party: Democratic

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 54

Campaign website or social media page: www.tammyduckworth.com

Office seeking: U.S. senator

Are you an incumbent? Yes

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) U.S. House of Representatives, 6th District in Illinois, 2006 (lost); U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District in Illinois,, 2012 (won); U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District in Illinois, 2014 (won); U.S. Senate, Illinois, 2016 (won).

Occupation: U.S. senator

Education: McKinley High School, 1985; bachelor’s degree in political science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1989; master’s in international affairs, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, 1992; doctorate in human services, Capella University, 2015.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Commissioned officer, U.S. Army Reserve, 1992; Army National Guard (Illinois Army National Guard), 1996; staff supervisor, Rotary International Headquarters; coordinator, Center for Nursing Research at Northern Illinois University.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? I am very thankful for my many campaign donors. This year alone, I have received contributions from 27,063 individual donors, 96% of whom contributed $100 or less. I report all contributor information as required by federal election law, which is publicly accessible at www.fec.gov.

Why are you running? I’m a combat veteran who served and defended our great nation, and I’m a mom of two young daughters who wants to raise my girls in a better world than the one I grew up in.

When I was in high school, my dad lost his job, and we survived with the help of food stamps and the generosity of others, but there were still months when the food stamps ran out early and we didn’t have enough to eat. When I was 16, I became the only one in my family with a job, and I developed a deep-seated appreciation both for the social safety net that helped keep my family afloat and for just how hard so many Americans have to work to survive, pay their rent and put food on the table.

Throughout my first term in the Senate, I’ve worked to be an effective legislator who reaches across the aisle and passes common-sense legislation that benefits working Illinoisans. It has been an honor and a privilege to represent Illinois in the Senate, and I am running to continue the work I have done to help working families in every corner of our state.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? Illinoisans are feeling the effects of rising prices at the grocery store, at the gas pump, on their energy bills and more. It’s why I was so proud to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act to help bring much-needed relief to working families. We put working Americans first by helping them save money on prescription drugs, fighting inflation, tackling the climate crisis to protect our planet for future generations, cutting the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars and ensuring megacorporations pay their fair share.

But we need to do more. That’s why I’m working to pass my Gas Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would stop big oil companies from excessively price gouging in times of crisis. In 2022 amid Vladimir Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine, Big Oil companies blamed soaring gas prices on the conflict but netted record profits to line the pockets of CEOs and shareholders while working families felt the burden the most. We must hold these big corporations accountable.

Why should people vote for you? As your senator, I’ve prioritized policies that put working Illinoisans first.

I have a strong record of standing up for women’s health and reproductive rights and earned a 100% “pro-choice” voting record from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. I will do everything I can to enshrine full reproductive rights into law on the federal level. I will continue to push for common-sense solutions for gun violence, and I am proud to have passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which will enhance background checks, help states implement red flag laws, work to close the boyfriend loophole and, ultimately, save lives.

I also introduced legislation to expand voter-registration efforts nationwide and increase American citizens’ participation in the democratic process, as the right to vote is a founding tenet of our democracy, and the strength of our democracy depends upon the participation of the American people. I passed the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, relieving everyday costs for working families.

If elected to another term, I’ll keep working every day to bring results back to Illinois.

NAME: BILL REDPATH

Political party: Libertarian

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 65

Campaign website or social media page: www.billredpath.com

Office seeking: U.S. senator

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) Virginia House of Delegates, 34th District, 1993; Virginia Senate, 33rd District, 1998; Governor of Virginia, 2001; U.S. Senate, Virginia, 2008; U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia, 10th District, 2010 and 2014; U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois, 6th District, 2020.

Occupation: Business appraiser

Education: Bachelor of arts in economics and political science, Indiana University; master of business administration, The University of Chicago.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: My civic involvement has been my work in the Libertarian Party. I was chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, 2006-2010; and I served on the LNC from 1989-1993 and 2003-2020.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, his wife and I.

Why are you running? I am fed up with the two-party system, which usually gives us two unappealing choices. The people deserve better than that. We should have a multiparty democracy, as is the case with most established democracies around the world. I also want there to be a Libertarian voice in this election.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The mounting federal debt is the top issue in this race. The General Accountability Office states that the U.S. is on a path to a federal debt-to-GDP ratio of 400% 75 years from now. We won’t get there without a federal-debt crisis that could cripple the world economy. We need to reform entitlements, and the sooner the better. I support the Cato Institute’s “6.2% Solution” for Social Security, which would allow people under 55 to opt out of Social Security and save their employee FICA contributions in private, inheritable investment accounts. Medicare should allow enrollees to opt out without losing Social Security benefits and switch to cash payments to enrollees instead of paying providers to incentivize enrollees to become better medical-care consumers, adjusting payments so that lower income and sicker enrollees receive larger checks. Medicaid should be changed to federal block grants to the states and phased out over 10 years. Other federal spending should be cut by eliminating the Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development and all corporate welfare and farm subsidies.

Why should people vote for you? The last 90 years have shown that, with both the Rs and the Ds, government experiences non-stop growth. I stand for both economic freedom and personal freedom, and for a much smaller federal government. Also, if one of my Libertarian statewide candidate colleagues or I get 5% or more of the vote in our races, it will be easier for Libertarian candidates to make it onto ballots in Illinois in future elections. That might make it easier for independent and other third-party candidates to make it onto ballots in the future, too.

Did not respond

Kathy Salvi, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, did not respond to the Belleville News-Democrat questionnaire.

U.S. Congress — 12th District

NAME: MIKE BOST

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 61

Campaign website or social media page: www.bostforcongress.com

Office seeking: U.S. representative, District 12 in Illinois

Are you an incumbent? Yes

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) Jackson County Board, 1984–88; Murphysboro Township treasurer, 1989–92; Murphysboro Township trustee, 1993–95; Illinois House of Representatives, 115th District, 1995-2015; U.S. House of Representatives,12th District, 2015-present.

Occupation: Member of Congress; former professional firefighter and small business owner.

Education: Murphysboro High School; University of Illinois Certified Firefighter II Academy.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: U.S. Marine Corps, 1979-1982; full-time firefighter, 1993-1995.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? I’m proud to have received solid financial support from across the newly drawn 12th District, including hundreds of small, low-dollar contributions from conservative grassroots supporters. We’ve also received great support from local job creators and from unions that represent working men and women in the building trades, transportation, first responders and more.

Why are you running? I am running for Congress because I want a better, brighter and more secure future for our children and grandchildren. The Biden-Pelosi agenda is crushing our families, and Southern Illinoisans need a fighter who will stand up for our common-sense, conservative values in Congress. I will continue to work hard for the people of the 12th District every day to achieve real results for our families, job creators, farmers and veterans who feel abandoned by the liberals in Washington.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The economy. We have the highest inflation in 40 years, thanks to Joe Biden and the D.C. Democrats in Washington. They’ve been too busy appeasing the socialist faction of their party and advocating for America Last policies instead of taking bold action to curb inflation and get folks back to work. I will continue working to grow American jobs, rein in government spending, solve the supply chain crisis, make our companies more competitive in the global marketplace and lower taxes.

Why should people vote for you? Democrat one-party rule has given us record-high inflation and gas prices, empty store shelves, unconstitutional vaccine mandates, a war on American-made energy and an invasion at our southern border. I am fighting to restore and advance policies that gave us a booming economy, record-low unemployment and a strong national defense. I am a battle-tested conservative who has never wavered in defense of our constitutional values, and I am ready to continue fighting for you in Congress.

NAME: HOMER “CHIP” MARKEL

Political party: Democratic

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 62

Campaign website or social media page: www.chipmarkelforcongress.com

Office seeking: 12th Congressional representative

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) No

Occupation: Retired Illinois Department of Corrections

Education: HS Diploma

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Member of IBEW 702; member of AFSCME Local 1175; union president 1986-1992

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Machinists Union District 9, Jackson County Democrats, Fred Eychaner.

Why are you running? I am running to be a true representative for the people of this district. Our democracy is at stake, and I will fight to protect that and our personal freedoms.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? Protecting our democracy is the most important issue, and we must address is by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Why should people vote for you? People should vote for me because I genuinely care about representing this district and am committed to putting people first, not party first. I am not a career politician, just someone who cares about this country and wants to see things improve.

U.S. Congress — 13th District

NAME: NIKKI BUDZINSKI

Political party: Democratic

Age as of June 28, 2022: 45

Campaign website or social media page: nikkiforcongress.com, twitter.com/Nikki4Congress and facebook.com/NikkiforCongress

Office seeking: U.S. representative, District 13 in Illinois

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) No

Occupation: Consultant for Climate Jobs National Resource Center

Education: 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 the College Democrats, I met many lifelong friends at UIUC.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: From an early age, my parents taught me the importance of civic engagement and of being involved. My 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’m proud to have spent my career in public service, trying to give back. I spent a decade working in the labor movement, first for the International Association of Fire Fighters 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, making sure that retail workers and meat packers got a fair day’s pay, affordable healthcare and workplace protections at dangerous processing plants. Here in Illinois, I led the fight to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour, bringing together different stakeholders like the legislature, the business community and organized labor to get it done and help increase people’s paychecks. I also chaired the Broadband Advisory Council in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration and worked to jump-start Connect Illinois, a historic investment in high-speed internet access. And while serving as chief of staff at the Office of Management in the Biden Administration, I was proud to help establish the Made in America Office that helps to prioritize American manufacturing and American workers.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? I am very proud of the campaign I am running, including the strength and diversity of the grassroots support that I have received. My campaign has well over 5,000 individual contributions. We are running a grassroots-focused, people-powered campaign. I am especially grateful for the support I have received in the 13th District.

Why are you running? I’ve spent my career fighting for working families. From advocating for workplace protections for meat packers and grocery store workers to securing training and equipment for firefighters, helping to lead the fight for a $15 minimum wage in Illinois and working to set up the Made in America Office, working families have always been my focus. I’m running for Congress because I want to help rebuild the middle class and fight for working families to keep more of what they earn.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? Fighting inflation is the most important issue in this campaign. People in central and southern Illinois are hurting right now, and they need immediate help to bring prices down and help them keep more of what they earn. There are short-term and long-term solutions to rising costs. Part of the reason we are here is an over-reliance on a broken supply chain because decades of Democrats and Republicans have outsourced American manufacturing to China. First and foremost, I support decreasing our reliance on China by increasing manufacturing right here in Illinois. We need to start making things in America again. In the short term, there are several measures we can take to help bring prices down. I applaud the state of Illinois for providing immediate gas tax and grocery tax relief for working families. In Congress, I would support the sale of a year-round E15 ethanol blend that would provide relief at the gas pump and support our family farmers. I also support middle-class tax cuts to help hard-working Illinoisans keep more of what they earn, allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with prescription drug companies to lower costs, lowering out of pocket expenses by capping the cost of insulin at $35 and extending the child tax cut for working families struggling to make ends meet with children at home.

Why should people vote for you? I’m someone who’s focused on bringing people together to solve problems. I want to go to Congress to be a part of the solution and to get things done for working families in central and southern Illinois. I will work with Republicans, Independents and Democrats on common-sense issues that support the middle class, like investments in roads, bridges and waterways, high-speed internet access and strengthening manufacturing in Illinois to create good paying jobs. I will fight to help working families keep more of what they earn and bring people together to get that accomplished.

NAME: REGAN DEERING

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 47

Campaign website or social media page: regan4congress.com

Office seeking: U.S. representative, District 13 in Illinois

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) No

Occupation: Community advocate and philanthropist

Education: Bachelor of science, Duke University; master of education, DePaul University.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I am an active member of my community as a volunteer for multiple civic organizations. I served as capital campaign chair for the Northeast Community Fund, a social-service organization whose mission is to serve low-income families. The campaign raised more than $3 million to build a new 17,000-square-foot facility in the heart of a newly established Community Care Campus, which opened in the fall of 2019. I continue to be actively engaged with that organization and serve as board president. From 2018-2021, I was board chair for the Decatur Public Schools Foundation, leading the organization that gives more than $1 million to teachers and schools for the advancement of opportunities for students across the district. Over the last seven years, through Pawprint Ministries – a local nonprofit serving communities with warmth, compassion, and the hope of Jesus – I have worked as a therapy dog handler with my golden retriever J.J. Our team visits nursing homes, hospitals, childcare facilities and schools and has been deployed in crisis situations.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Records of campaign contributions are publicly available through the Federal Elections Commission.

Why are you running? I have built a career that prioritizes high-quality education for all, investment and caring for my community and giving back to others by serving. These experiences have given me a front-row seat to the struggles of our working families every day. People in our communities want to work hard, provide for our children, send them to great schools and raise them in safe neighborhoods. I didn’t go looking for a political career, but today’s political environment seems to be controlled by out-of-touch elected officials more concerned with self-serving bureaucracy, and I was called to step up and serve. We need common-sense leaders with real-world experience to represent our districts. Our government was founded on the idea of “We the People” being elected by a group of our peers to take a break from our daily life to go to capitols and share our community’s vision. I stand first and foremost for the rule of law and preserving the U.S. Constitution. We should all expect our elected leaders to work for their constituents and represent the morals, values and unique concerns of their districts, and that is why I am running for Congress.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The most pressing issue facing my constituents today is the cost of living. I intend on being a representative whose first course of action will be to put an end to our government’s wasteful spending that is driving up inflation. I will support policies that will lower taxes and help Americans keep more of what they earn. Likewise, we need to boost small businesses that help drive our local economies. Additionally, I will work to get people back into the workforce by building up alternative-training programs, certifications and connecting employers to workforce-ready individuals.

Why should people vote for you? I am a taxpayer, homeowner, wife, mother, educator, small-business owner and community advocate. My husband and I care deeply about the future of our three children and recognize that our country is at a critical point. If you want more of the same, more of the Biden-Budzinski administration’s record-high inflation, open borders and reckless spending, then vote for Nikki. If you want to change Washington, send me to Congress! I’m a political outsider that calls central Illinois home, and I promise to go to Washington and work for you. I’ll be the change you want to see in D.C.

U.S. Congress — 15th District

NAME: PAUL LANGE

Political party: Democratic

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 67

Campaign website or social media page: www.paullange2215.com

Office seeking: U.S. representative, District 15 in Illinois

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) Illinois House of Representatives, 96th District, 1994 and 1996.

Occupation: Retired commodity broker

Education: Bachelor’s degree, management information science, Quincy University.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Active in the Democratic Party; Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Myself, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s political action committee and the Hancock County Democrats.

Why are you running? In contrast to the incumbent, I know we need greater support for infrastructure, strengthening Social Security, assuring a woman’s right to choose and maximizing access to affordable health care, among many other issues. Our government can accomplish so much when people of good conscience are representing – and listening to – the people. I am running to give my constituents a choice. A choice between someone whose priority is her party and its former president and someone whose priority will always be his constituents.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The ability of people to make choices about their futures. We need legislation to facilitate a woman’s right to choose, to guarantee our collective ability to vote, to allow us to choose our doctors and get access to the medicines we need at affordable prices. This is a start. It’s about the ability to make choices and act on those choices.

Why should people vote for you? Mary Miller believes in a government “of Trump, by Trump and for Trump.” I believe in a government “of the people, by the people and for the people,” in the words of Abraham Lincoln. I won’t be voting for the interests of a political party. I will be voting for the interests of my constituents. I am offering the choice of a candidate who will always listen to you, learn your needs and respond to them.

NAME: MARY MILLER

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 63

Campaign website or social media page: www.marymillerforcongress.com

Office seeking: U.S. Congress, 15th District in Illinois

Are you an incumbent? Yes

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) Yes, I was elected to represent Illinois’ 15th Congressional District in 2020.

Occupation: Farmer and congresswoman

Education: Bachelor of science in education from Eastern Illinois University

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I am honored to be endorsed by President Donald Trump for re-election in the 15th District. In addition to President Trump, I have been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and every major conservative organization, including Illinois Family Action, the NRA, Family Research Council Action, FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth and the Susan B. Anthony List. I am running because I am the conservative, America First candidate who is most in line with the values of voters in the 15th District. I am the only member from Illinois in the House Freedom Caucus, and I am 100% pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, and pro-family. As a family farmer, the mother of seven children and grandmother of 19 grandchildren, I provide a unique voice in Congress that speaks for average Americans. I have sponsored a bill to prevent China from purchasing U.S. farmland, and I have been out front in calling for an end to the ridiculous COVID vaccine mandate for our military. I’m a political outsider who hasn’t made her career in Washington, and my life is built around the values of family, faith and freedom. Every day, I am fighting for our Christian values and our children and grandchildren by opposing the radical left’s woke indoctrination in schools and stepping up to end the fentanyl crisis killing our young people.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? I have been running a grassroots campaign, primarily supported by small dollar donors.

Why are you running? President Trump endorsed me because I have been actively engaged in fighting the D.C. swamp every step of the way. I visited the border with President Trump and witnessed firsthand the crisis created by the Biden Administration’s open-border agenda. Drug cartels, human traffickers and gangs like MS-13 are completely in control of our border, and their goal is to flood our country with criminals and fentanyl. The most important thing we can do to fix immigration in America is get President Trump back in the White House so that we can re-secure our border and enforce our immigration laws.

One of my most notable achievements in my past term was exposing the attempted vaccine-database program that Democrats tried to sneak past the American people. In my next term, I will continue to focus on pushing back against authoritarian mandates, such as the COVID vaccine requirement for our military, as well as securing our border, stopping China from buying U.S. farmland and ending the woke indoctrination of our children.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The Biden Energy Crisis threatens every aspect of my district, especially farmers who can’t afford fuel and fertilizer. I warned Biden’s secretary of agriculture that a food crisis is coming if this trend continues, and he brazenly told me that farmers should just use less fertilizer. My district can produce clean ethanol, but the Biden Administration wants to replace fertile farmland with Chinese-manufactured solar panels and windmills. President Trump brought us energy independence and a booming economy. My district misses President Trump and his America First agenda.

Why should people vote for you? President Trump endorsed me because I am not a career politician. I am a farmer who has been a bold defender of the America First agenda and our Second Amendment rights. I am proud to be endorsed by the NRA, and I am the only member of Congress from Illinois with an A rating from Gun Owners of America. I am also the only member of Congress from Illinois who is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Americans need bold, conservative fighters in Congress.

This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 5:30 AM.