Illinois 11th Congressional District Race: Candidates, Issues, Info

ILLINOIS— Tuesday's General Primary Election will see incumbent Rep. Bill Foster (D-Naperville) challenged by Qasim Rashid for the nomination to seek Illinois's 11th Congressional District. The three Republican candidates facing off in the primary are Jerry Evans, Susan Hathaway-Altman and Kent Mercado.

Democratic Candidates

Bill Foster

Rep. Foster was first elected to represent the 11th Congressional District in 2013. Prior to that, he served as representative for the 14th Congressional District of Illinois.

Foster previously worked at Fermilab as a particle accelerator designer and high-energy physicist.

During his time in Congress, he has served on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus and currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

Immigration

On the topic of immigration, Foster's website states that "our current immigration system is broken."

He adds that he supports a "comprehensive immigration reform to modernize it, including a strict but fair pathway to citizenship." For Foster, this includes reversing what he calls the "inhumane and counterproductive immigration policies" of the Trump Administration.

Health Care

Regarding health care, Foster's campaign site states that he believes [e]very American should have access to low-cost, affordable health care."

To this end, he favors "strengthening the Affordable Care Act, protecting and expanding Medicare, and pursuing sensible policies that will lower health care costs for all Americans."

Climate

Foster supports policies aimed at decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases via "sound economic policies."

His website states, "It is our responsibility to develop a comprehensive response to address our dependence on fossil fuels, promote sustainable energy use, and invest in new energy technologies."

Qasim Rashid

Qasim Rashid grew up in DuPage County after emigrating from Pakistan with his family. Rashid works as a human rights lawyer who focuses on "fighting for survivors of domestic violence, asylum seekers, and low-income communities,"his campaign website states.

"Throughout his legal career, Qasim has seen how the country’s laws and systems unfairly worked for those who already had money and power and left everyone else behind," per his website. "He’s running for Congress to demand justice and ensure that the government works for everyone."

Immigration

On his campaign site, Rashid writes that he "understands that our immigration system is broken by design and selectively discriminates against BIPOC migrants and refugees."

He supports fully funding U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) "to meet the demand of American families seeking to ensure their loved ones can immigrate to the United States safely, quickly, and in a documented manner."

Rashid's website states that he would like to "repeal 287-G and prevent ICE from working with and deputizing local police departments for federal immigration enforcement."

Health Care

Rashid supports guaranteed health care and expanding the Medicare system to allow open enrollment.

He writes that medical debt should not be reported to credit agencies and should have interest rates capped.

Per Rashid's website, he is in favor of health care encompassing medical, dental, vision, hearing, mental and reproductive care.

Climate

Rashid contends that "human activity and fossil fuels" are responsible for the current climate crisis.

He supports investments in "clean energy and infrastructure development in construction and transportation to get the United States to carbon-neutral by 2030."

Rashid's website states that he also favors putting an end to fracking and what he calls the "debunked science of 'carbon capture.'"

Republican Candidates

Jerry Evans

A graduate of Wheaton College, Jerry Evans currently lives in Warrenville. Evans's campaign website states that he has "made multiple mission trips to India, Mexico, and South Africa."

Immigration

On his campaign site, Evans shares that he believes "[t]he crisis at the Southern border has Illinois experiencing increased rates of human trafficking, drug abuse, fentanyl deaths, and crime all over our state."

He writes that he supports "comprehensive border security solutions, ending catch and release, and the construction of physical barriers are necessary to secure America’s southern border."

Education

Regarding education, Evans supports education reform that includes "giving parents greater control over their children’s education by providing them additional options through school choice. "

He continues, "We need to remove the woke agenda from our schools and give parents a voice in their child’s curriculum."

Economy

Evans's website states that "[t}he best way to create economic growth is to promote free market policies in an environment of fiscal responsibility.

He supports "cutting burdensome red tape, curbing inflation, and making strategic cuts to wasteful federal spending will help our economy grow."

Susan Hathaway-Altman

Susan Hathaway-Altman has a background working in "financial and travel-related services," according to her campaign website.

Hathaway-Altman also has a "well-rounded background that includes many areas, and one in particular supports promoting the progress of useful arts, science and innovation," per her campaign site.

She adds that she "grew up in a military household, where I learned first hand from my father the dedication to defending our country and the importance of our military."

Immigration

"Our administration is not only doing nothing about [the border] crisis, but also are making conditions exponentially worse by attracting illegal entry into the United States," Hathaway-Altman states on her site.

She writes that she will "protect our country's sovereignty, and ensure that immigration is lawful and systematic, and creates the right opportunity for prosperity to migrants, as well as safe, healthy communities for all of our citizens."

Economy

Hathaway-Altman contends that her more than 30 years of experience in corporate America gives her the knowledge to "get our economy back on track."

She adds that inflation "is making our normal, middle class lives unaffordable" and promises to "author, support, and fight for our middle class by making critical policy changes and cost reductions."

Hathaway-Altman's site outlines plans for increasing energy and food independence, creating more jobs and decreasing government funding of some projects.

Kent Mercado

Per Kent Mercado's campaign website, he has "extensive experience as both a surgeon and an attorney."

He writes that he has proven to be "an accomplished leader in healthcare management, law, governmental affairs, and international medical missions."

Immigration

Mercado's site states that "We must maintain border security and keep our communities safe and secure. We must restrict human and drug trafficking."

He supports "enforcing current laws that we have at all levels of government" and adds that "t. [w]e need to emphasize the value of safe and secure borders, as well as the need for legal immigration, because a country without borders is no country at all."

Health Care

Mercado states that he believes all Americans should have access to health care that is affordable.

Of the Affordable Care Act, his website states, "The Affordable Care Act now has tendrils in all business sectors and communities, and it cannot be repealed. So, it must be repaired!"

He adds, "Promoting insurance policies that work, and revising the ones that do not, is the first step to achieving better access to healthcare for all."

Economy

Mercado supports decreasing taxes and deregulating markets to help support a "pro-growth economic environment."

He is in favor of making the country's tax code more simple and eliminating what he calls "overreaching mandates."

"We must invest wisely in infrastructure, leading to large tangible gains and creating thousands of well-paying jobs. The government needs to step out of the way and let the American people drive innovation, open small businesses, and expand existing businesses."

The General Primary Election is slated for March 19, 2024. This year's General Election will be held Nov. 5, 2024.