3) Repealing domestic spying programs - the government is illegally spying on American citizens, that’s not freedom. Both Black voters and Latino voters were more likely to back Durbin … Wilson said during the NBC 5 forum that he has handed out 27 million masks so far. What do you view as the government’s obligation, if any, to help American workers secure health insurance? To even the playing field in our society by seeking parity for all communities in spending our tax dollars fairly, especially on jobs, training, education, healthcare and business development through contracts for small businesses should be our first priority. Yes, because these programs have failed and ultimately made us less free. David Black, a retired attorney, is running as a member of the Green Party to unseat Durbin. However, Congress will want to see major structural reforms before it bails out a state with an addiction to wasteful spending. 3) The Federal Reserve and the national debt they’ve enabled. If you support a government-related insurance plan, how would you pay for it? I have a proven track record of operating a large office, with a multi-million dollar budget, and coming in under budget every single year. Our current trade deficit with Mexico is the larger than it has ever been. Also, I have also been a strong proponent for prison reform since I spent a week in my own jail as Lake County Sheriff in 2008. What policy steps should Congress take (beyond stimulus money or bailouts) in the next year to create as many jobs and as much prosperity as possible? I believe every American should have health insurance and I believe it should be the goal of the Government to provide health insurance to those who cannot afford it. Illinois is suffering as a result of our debt, with those in our middle class, farming, and small business community being impacted most. Durbin also had an edge over Curran … Perhaps in my pro-life pitch, although I believe most of us simply agree that federalism is the answer. IL Senate Race: Dick Durbin Takes On 4 Challengers - Across Illinois, IL - The Nov. 3 election pits Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin against challengers Mark Curran… Both opponents seemingly do not understand the gravity of the situation we’re all facing. The city is awash in guns from Northern Indiana. View Illinois's US Senate race in numbers. Each of these make us less free and less safe. I continue to think and pray on this decision. For the March 2020 IL GOP primary, the group rated former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran as most "pro-life." The ceiling on withholding needs to be raised. While we need to safeguard the integrity of our elections, I do not see any real foreign threats to our actual security that would justify our current level of military spending. China has had two decades of double-digit increases in military spending. Editorial: Concede or resign, President Trump. I think the government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have access to health care. IL politicians: Archives; ... Durbin(D,incumbent) vs.Curran(R) vs.Stava-Murray(D) You as an individual should be able to choose how you spend your own money and save for your own retirement - not the government. Many businesses will not be able to reopen even when they’re finally allowed to reopen. Curran, a Pittsburgh native, attended Spring Hill College in Alabama for his bachelor’s degree before coming to … Since it’s inception, the federal government has had over 50 years to get it right, and after decades of intervening in the healthcare market with trillions of dollars spent and thousands of regulations created, what do we have to show for it? In 2018, I worked with the White House and Republicans to enact into law the First Step Act, the most significant criminal justice reform legislation in a generation. Mr. Lausch was confirmed by the Senate for the position in 2017, and I believe he has served with diligence and integrity. And while we should test strategies to further those gains--such as allowing more people to buy into Medicare or expanding a public insurance option--which may lead us toward a Medicare-for-all system, we must do everything within our power to defend the ACA, not tear it down as my Republican colleagues have been trying to do for the past ten years. Vice President Joe Biden is a leader who will listen to the experts around him--whether it be public health experts to address the pandemic, foreign policy experts to ensure the U.S. returns to its position of leadership in the world, or economic experts about how we address the recession created by the pandemic to ensure we put people back to work and address economic inequality that has been made worse by this recess. We should build upon its historic expansion of health care and protections for pre-existing conditions to ensure universal coverage and lower costs for all Americans. Please limit this to … I have been working closely with Adam Andrzejewski founder of “Open the Books” and he lists countless sources of wasteful spending by the federal government. China has engaged in rogue tactics while competing with the US economically including: stealing are trade secrets through covert activity; devaluing their currency to dump Chinese goods into the American markets and drive out competition from American manufacturers; luring American corporations into using Chinese workers by producing goods in China with fewer regulations and far cheaper wages. Before that, he served as a county, state, and federal prosecutor. SenateMatch. Rod Blagojevich, is running as a third-party candidate to replace Durbin. There are many national security threats to the United States. The Chicago businessman unsuccessfully ran for Chicago mayor in 2015 and 2019. Do you support the creation or continuation of a program, such as Medicare for All or Obamacare? Illinois needs to create a climate where workers will want to move to Illinois and that means we’ll have to lower taxes and have fewer regulations. I have the most significant experience in defending and upholding the Constitution as the former Lake County Sheriff from 2006-2018 and as a prior county, state, and federal prosecutor before that. In 2001, it was my “blue slip” that allowed U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s name to go forward in committee. We need to develop and implement a national strategy to increase testing, personal protective equipment, and contact tracing. I do not know how you can support law enforcement and teachers and do otherwise. When Social Security was created, it was expected that payroll tax payments would be in a “lock box” and that never occurred. There is significant fraud in Medicare and even more in Medicaid. We must provide schools the resources they need to ensure kids and teachers can return to school safely, which will help parents return to work. In order to put people back to work and address climate change, we should invest in large-scale clean energy and carbon reducing projects. The federal government needs to get out of the way, and stop writing thousands of pages of regulations that later allow for big pharma and big insurance lobbyists to write the rules. Before that, he served in the U.S. House. National healthcare for all, redirecting military spending to help cure social ills, student loan forgiveness. I will work to roll back unnecessary regulations on small businesses, making it easier for them to compete. We can’t just print and spend money and expect it to create real sustainable growth. He began the process of bringing US troops home. When it comes to ensuring access to affordable, quality health care for everyone, I’ve been a clear defender of the Affordable Care Act, and I have proposed new solutions to expand and improve on the law. I want to bring manufacturing jobs back to cities like Rockford, Peoria, Waukegan, and the Quad Cities. Oh, and Jo Jorgensen is the only candidate without a sexual harassment claim against her. China is becoming a greater threat militarily as it continues to build up its arms and capabilities. He also ran for president in 2016. Black's platform also supports a $20 federal minimum wage, affordable housing for all, 75 percent spending cuts for the military and a variety of green-infrastructure initiatives, including electric mass transit, environmentally beneficial buildings and a ban on fracking. In 2006, when I first ran for Lake County Sheriff, I ran as a Democrat. Campaign finance records show Durbin has significantly out raised and outspent his four opponents. But we also need to invest in affordable housing, like the bill I introduced with Senator Harris that would provide $70 billion to upgrade and maintain public housing from Chicago to East St. Louis to Cairo. Editorial: Invoke the 25th Amendment. And lastly, one of the clearest distinctions between myself and my opponents is I have not and do not support Donald Trump. The group rated Mark Curran as most prolife with a "1." I have introduced legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the seniors they serve, cracking down on the abusive patent and monopoly practices used by the pharmaceutical industry to stifle competition, allowing the safe importation of cheaper drugs from countries like Canada, protecting patients from unreasonably high out-of-pocket costs, requiring drug companies to disclose the prices of their drugs to the public, including in their ads, and imposing stiff penalties on companies that unjustifiably and dramatically increase the price of their drugs year after year. Choose one and explain your approach to dealing with that threat. 1) Bringing the troops home - now and from everywhere. Republican Mark Curran said his experience as an elected official makes him the best pick to run against Democrat Dick Durbin this November. I was first elected as a Democrat in 2006. Mark Curran won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate Tuesday, the Associated Press projects, defeating four other candidates to challenge incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin in November. Or, mistakenly paying out approximately $140 billion including monies to deceased individuals. Debt that is not only crippling our nation but will cripple future generations. Mark Curran : Mark Kirk : Illinois Senator: Richard Durbin (Democratic Sr Senator) On the issues>> Contact Richard Durbin IL Senate Debate Wikipedia Ballotpedia. And we can and must do something about gun violence. These are unconstitutional and unwinnable wars that we should end immediately. This effort encourages hospitals to address health disparities and the lack of opportunities in their communities through local hiring and investment, community programming, and health initiatives. We need to implement a science-based, national strategy to contain the virus, including ramping up testing and the production of personal protective equipment. Also, I have worked toward reforming our criminal justice, holding bad law enforcement officers accountable, and advocating for much-needed change to our immigration system and will continue to do so as your next senator. I am the only Pro-Life candidate in the race. Fortunately, I was already familiar with Mr. Lausch as he had applied for our bipartisan process in 2012 and had been vetted. Learn about Mark Curran Jr., one of the Republican candidates running in primary Election 2020 for U.S. Senate. There is sufficient evidence that the CCP stopped travel from Wuhan to other parts of China while allowing travel from Wuhan to anywhere else on the globe. The federal government does not have the authority to “secure health insurance” for American workers, nor could it successfully achieve such a goal if it did. I became a Republican in 2008, but I continued to work in an independent fashion. Dick Durbin is also an unapologetic partisan and is the Minority Whip for a reason. We need investments in our highways and bridges, our airports, and our waterways. I have already signed the U.S. Illinois is at the bottom in many economic categories including the number of citizens leaving, debt, taxes, and credit rating. He also said he wants to enact tort reform, saying it's the only way to address health care costs. My opponents want to compete for who can promise more free stuff, but neither are willing to admit the consequences of spending trillions of dollars, or where the money must first come from in order to spend it. The incumbent senator has raised just under $10 million for his re-election campaign and has spent $8.6 million. We do not have to look far to see the consequences of spending beyond our means. Also, we need to unwind the federal government’s Medicare experiment. "I think this first issue is the economy Craig, and … Improved Medicare for all. President Trump, while working with American businesses and inspiring confidence in the economy, helped achieve 50-year lows in unemployment, record growth in the stock market, and an economy that was on fire prior to the pandemic. The problem with healthcare in the United States is the ever-increasing costs. Durbin was one of the leading voices against Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was finalized Monday. Curran, a longtime Democrat turned Republican, is hoping to pull off the upset and believes Wilson will draw votes from Durbin. Most small businesses were terrified of being sued during the pandemic for violating any regulations or someone claiming that they received the virus from their business. 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