IL-01: Jonathan Jackson (D)

REPLACING:

Bobby Rush (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Drexel Burnham Lambert (Investment Banker); River North Sales + Service (Investor); City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College (Professor); Chicago State University (Professor of Business); Rainbow PUSH Coalition (National Spokesperson)[ii]

EDUCATION:

Diploma, Whitney Young High School; North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University; MBA, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management[iii] [iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Digital Asset Markets; Pandemic Preparedness; Affordable Housing; Women & Equal Pay; Child Care & Day Care; Healthcare Access & Affordability; Transportation; Reducing Crime, Improving Public Safety & Getting Guns Off the Street; Environment & Green New Deal; Public Education; Jobs & the Economy[v]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

In a statement after President Joe Biden promised to codify Roe v. Wade into law if Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives, Jackson said he believed “it is a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body.”[vi] He has advocated for guaranteeing access to “the full range of reproductive healthcare options.”[vii]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

During the campaign, Jackson lamented gaps in pay between men and women and argued, “We must do more to raise the wages of all working women and provide pay equity.”[viii] To spur economic growth, he has said that he would support workforce development initiatives, especially those in “high-tech” fields, as well as “the growth of small businesses and industries that create and sustain good-paying jobs.”[ix] He has also advocated for a federal job guarantee.[x]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

According to his campaign website, Jackson believes that every American should have access to “quality and affordable healthcare.” To do so, he is in favor of instituting Medicare for All.[xi] He said he supports the Affordable Care Act and “the options it provides for health coverage either through the state’s Medicaid program or through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace.” He has pledged to advocate for increasing funding for community health centers and school-based health centers.[xii]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

In September 2021, Jackson joined his father, Rev. Jesse Jackson, in condemning poor conditions for Haitians seeking asylum in the United States. Jackson and his father compared treatment of the Haitians and acceptance of Afghani refugees to former President Trump’s strict immigration policies.[xiii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Jackson has advocated against “defund the police” policies, instead calling for “respecting the police,” bolstering training for officers, and modernizing screening practices to determine who is qualified to serve in law enforcement.[xiv] He has also advocated for a “holistic approach” to public safety policy, explaining, “That means incorporating community wellness, community education and resources, community mental health services, affordable housing, and other social building blocks into a comprehensive approach to public safety.”[xv]

EDUCATION:

Jackson has said that one of his top priorities in office will be improving public K-12 education, junior colleges, and universities. To make college more affordable, he has said that he will advocate for reducing student loan interest rates by cutting “wasteful subsidies to banks” and providing more Pell Grants. He has also said that he will protect and expand early childhood education opportunities.[xvi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

A Green New Deal supporter, Jackson has acknowledged that “climate change is real.” He has touted that Green New Deal legislation would offer “the most comprehensive legislative response to the climate crisis currently on the table” and “major economic boons as a result of refocusing the country’s priorities, including the creation of high-wage jobs, and clean air and water for all.”[xvii] He has said that he would support an environmental package that “emphasizes environmental and social justice and acknowledges how historically oppressed groups are more likely to be affected by climate change.”[xviii]

GUN SAFETY:

During the campaign, Jackson said he would move to pass the Keeping Gun Dealers Honest Act, which he argued would “make it much easier for the ATF to revoke the licenses of troublesome gun stores.”[xix] He is in favor of an assault weapons ban and expressed support for President Biden’s National Ghost Gun enforcement Initiative. [xx][xxi] In a May 2022 statement following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Jackson argued that Congress should “shut down loopholes on gun sales and enforce laws that can end this evil” and expand access to mental health resources.[xxii]