IL-03: Delia Ramirez (D)

REPLACING:

Marie Newman (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Center for Changing Lives (Executive Director); The Chicago Community Trust (Emerging Leader Fellow); Common Cause (Campaign Manager); Community Renewal Society (Deputy Director); Illinois House of Representatives (State Representative, District 4)[ii]

EDUCATION:

BA, Northeastern Illinois University[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

LGBTQ+ Rights; Ethics & Good Government; Veterans; Foreign Policy; Housing; Healthcare; Immigration; Reproductive Rights; Education; A Strong Safety Net; Community Investment & Economic Development; Worker Rights; Voting Rights; COVID-19 & Pandemic Prevention; Public Safety; Climate Change & Clean Energy[iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Ramirez, who has called access to abortion ”critical,” has argued that the “attack on abortion access” is “an effort to control women’s bodies.” She has said that she will work to repeal the Hyde Amendment and codify Roe v. Wade into law.[v]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

According to her campaign website, Ramirez supports protecting and expanding Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and instituting paid sick leave for workers.[vi] She has said she is in favor of “exploring” universal basic income, and she is pro-union.[vii] In February 2019, Ramirez cosponsored and voted for a bill that amended the Illinois Minimum Wage Law to raise the minimum wage each year until it reaches $15 per hour in January 2025.[viii] [ix]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

A Medicare for All supporter, Ramirez has worked to expand Medicaid coverage to “all low-income people over the age of 42.”[x] She has expressed support for “a strong social safety net,” arguing that Social Security, among several programs, must be protected.[xi] She is also in favor of increasing funding for mental health resources.[xii]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Ramirez is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and was an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s efforts to threaten, deport, and detain people. During the campaign, she referred to herself as an “unwavering champion for a pathway to citizenship,” and she said she would support DACA recipients.[xiii] In 2020, she helped shepherd Illinois’ first-in-the-nation legislation to extend health coverage to undocumented seniors.[xiv]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

In a July 2020 joint statement on recent use of force on protestors in Chicago, Ramirez said she was “ready to work to defund the Chicago Police Department immediately.”[xv] She supports legalizing marijuana “so that we can focus our public safety resources on addressing the root causes of violence and not low-level drug possession.”[xvi]  In a June 2022 tweet, she advocated for expanding restorative justice programs to promote safety.[xvii] Years earlier, Ramirez cosponsored a bill authored by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to reform criminal justice and policing – including ending cash bail in the state and implementing new accountability protocols.[xviii]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, to strengthen institutions and maintain an ethical government, Ramirez supported preventing lawmakers from immediately becoming lobbyists after leaving office and overturning Citizens United to limit political spending by corporations and unions.[xix] During the campaign, she said she supported the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to “ensure that we have strong federal protections against Republican efforts to pass restrictive voting laws at the state level.”[xx]

EDUCATION:

A self-described “strong advocate for public education for all Illinoisans,” Ramirez has called for increasing federal funding for public schools, making community colleges and public universities free, and canceling student loan debt.[xxi]  She supports universal pre-K and childcare.[xxii] She has voted to reduce class sizes in Chicago Public Schools and cosponsored measures to raise teacher pay and restore the Chicago Teachers Union’s bargaining rights.[xxiii] [xxiv] [xxv]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

A self-proclaimed “committed and unwavering champion for the Green New Deal,” Ramirez has argued the legislation would “invest in clean energy jobs and infrastructure, end our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight the effects of climate change in a proactive and equitable manner.” She supports a “full transition” to clean energy.[xxvi]

GUN SAFETY:

A supporter of several gun control measures, Ramirez has said she is in favor of universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons, and reducing “the flow of illegal guns” across states.[xxvii]  She has also said she supports banning “ghost guns.”[xxviii] In April 2021, Ramirez cosponsored a bill that strengthened Illinois’ firearm restraining order law.[xxix]

FOREIGN POLICY:

As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, Ramirez cosponsored legislation that she said divested from Russian stocks and created a Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement program.[xxx]  She supported early sanctions against Russia [xxxi]