CHICAGO — Following reports that major funders of the real estate industry, American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC, and its super PAC, United Democracy Project, have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Jason Friedman’s campaign in an attempt to buy the Illinois 7th Congressional seat, Anabel Mendoza, a lifelong Chicagoan, immigrant rights organizer, and the youngest candidate running for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, issued the following statement:

“Before he’s even been elected, Jason Friedman has proven he will sell out our communities at the first opportunity he gets. Let this be a wake up call to Friedman and those who have bought him: the days of AIPAC and greedy corporations infiltrating our political system are numbered. Chicago’s South and West sides deserve a Representative who will fight to bring back the investments our communities have always deserved: funding for our schools, jobs that pay a living wage, healthcare for all, access to healthy and affordable food, and dignified housing we can afford. 

“From day one, I have made myself clear: I will never take a single penny from AIPAC or corporate PACs. My loyalty is to the families I have met every single day. The ones who tell me they want safer streets for their kids, who shield neighbors from ICE’s violent assaults, and who don’t want a single one of their dollars funding genocide and war criminals. I’m running to carry forward a new wave of leadership that is done with politics as usual and is confronting this corruption head-on. One thing is clear: our future belongs to us —not lobbyists, not billionaires, not PACs, and certainly not to a real estate mogul who wants to enrich his empire by gentrifying and pricing out hardworking families from Englewood to Austin to Chinatown.”

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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