CHICAGO — This morning, Illinois 7th Congressional District candidate Anabel Mendoza joined WCPT Radio’s Chew’s Views with Richard Chew to talk about her personal reasons for running for office and what she’s hearing from people across the district about rising costs. During the live interview, Anabel also emphasized her commitment to bold, unapologetic leadership that invests in our neighborhoods instead of special interests.

You can listen to the entire interview here and watch it here. 

On why she’s running:

• “Politics is personal.”

  
  

• “I saw the struggles that my parents had to go through. They both worked full time jobs. My dad would pick up extra shifts whenever he could, but still, at the end of the month, they would keep a little whiteboard in our kitchen to track the dollars.”

  
  

• “This many years later, things have not gotten better. They've actively gotten worse for so many families. So my story is one of millions, and here in the seventh district, you are seeing so many hard working families who are facing the crushing costs at every turn.”

On affordability across the district:

• “I have been all over this district, especially during the campaign season, and when you're in an area like East Garfield Park, for instance, housing, the price of housing, the lack of affordable housing, right? That is something that constantly comes up.” 

• “You hear from young professionals too, who are saying, I can barely afford my rent. It keeps going up[...]my paycheck just constantly goes to rent. It goes to these bills, my groceries, I have nothing left over.”

• “I have seen how much of our taxpayer dollars is wasted on a really punitive, deeply inhumane [immigration] system, and that's money that isn't going to come back and be invested into our communities, into our schools, into our hospitals, into working families.”

On using congressional power to invest our tax dollars into this community:

• “I think a lot of people are upset to see where their taxpayer dollars are going especially when we are quite literally witnessing ICE and CBP, masked agents, armed agents, on our streets in the city [...] quite literally violate people's due process and constitutional rights.” 

• “Oftentimes I hear people saying, I wish I could decide where my taxpayer dollars go, because I'd much rather be going to my schools or to our you know, making sure there's opportunities for young people in our neighborhoods. You get to decide by who you elect into office.”

• “I'm running to go into Congress with bold, unapologetic action to bring our taxpayer dollars to invest in our neighborhoods.”

On bold leadership and rejecting special interests:

• “I don't take any corporate PAC or a pack or special interest money, not now, not ever. We need more leaders who will reject that money outright, because that is at the heart of the corruption.”

• “Something I support is overturning Citizens United. I think that that is critical to make sure that we are getting especially corporate PAC money out of our politics. We are seeing elected officials who hold tenure in office, who are bought. They are bought by these massive special interests, these outside groups, dark money, and they're there as soon as you get into office.” 

• “When you sell out your values to other corporate interests that have no hand or stakes in your district or in the lives of those who call your district home, their only incentive is to get richer. Then you’re going to have elected officials who aren’t looking out for your needs.”

• “I'm running to go into Congress with bold, unapologetic action to bring our taxpayer dollars to invest in our neighborhoods. That's where it matters.”

  
  

###

Anabel Mendoza is a community organizer, immigrant advocate, and the youngest candidate running for Congress in Illinois’ 7th District. A lifelong Chicagoan and the proud daughter and granddaughter of immigrants, she has dedicated her career to fighting for working families, immigrant rights, and a government that serves people, not corporations. She’s running to bring unity, honesty, and courage to Washington. For more information, visit www.anabelforcongress.com