Illinois — 7th District

La Shawn Ford

Supports expanding Medicaid and ACA healthcare access

Ford prioritizes preserving and expanding access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act for the district's residents. In the Illinois House, he authored and passed legislation eliminating co-pays for prostate cancer screenings, expanding HIV screening access, and addressing substance use through community task forces.

• Authored and passed six laws expanding access to HIV screening in Illinois.
• Passed law requiring health insurance in Illinois to cover screening for prostate cancer without a co-pay.
• Co-founded the West Side Heroin Opioid Task Force in 2019.
• Introduced a House Resolution to repeal the 2013 Medicaid funding trigger law.

“Preserving and expanding access to Medicaid and health care in general will be one of my top prioirities as your congressman.”

“As a prostate cancer survivor, I introduced and passed legislation that became law which requires health insurance in Illinois to cover screening for prostate cancer without a co-pay.”

Chad Koppie

Supports repealing Obamacare

Koppie advocates for making healthcare affordable by repealing Obamacare. He favors free-market competition and reducing government involvement in health insurance.

• Supports full repeal of Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act).

“Repeal Obamacare”

La Shawn Ford

Supports living wages and small business development

Ford emphasizes supporting working families through living wages, small business empowerment, and workforce opportunities. As a state representative and business owner, he created micro-loan programs for ex-offenders and championed 'Ban the Box' legislation.

• Created and chaired the House Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Committee.
• Introduced the State Employment Application Act ('Ban the Box') to assist job applicants with conviction records.
• Passed legislation establishing a micro-loan small business program for qualified ex-offenders.
• Maintained daily email job listings for constituents for over 17 years.

“I created and was named Chair of the House Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Committee, and I introduced legislation that became law establishing a micro-loan small business program for qualified ex-offenders.”

Chad Koppie

Supports 3% annual federal spending cuts and tax cuts

Koppie proposes a mandate requiring all federal agencies and cabinet departments to cut spending by at least 3% annually until the budget is balanced. He also favors cutting tax rates, reducing federal salaries to match the private sector, and abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS.

• Proposes legislation cutting spending for every federal expenditure and program by 3% annually.
• Supports reducing tax rates across the board.
• Advocates abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS.
• Proposes reducing salaries of federal offices to be in line with the public sector.

“He wants to cut spending, from each cabinet department and agency by at least 3%, each year. Since the federal government would need less money, the same bill would cut tax rates. He'd like to abolish the Federal Reserve.”

“Abolish the Federal Reserve and the IRS”

La Shawn Ford

Supports universal child care and higher education funding

Ford advocates for universal high-quality child care, early childhood education, and increased funding for higher education. As Chair of Appropriations for Higher Education in Illinois, he oversaw historic state funding increases totaling over $2.73 billion in FY26.

• Led efforts to restore $300 million in childcare funding for low-income working families.
• Sponsored legislation lowering Illinois' compulsory school age from 7 to 6.
• Secured $9 million in funding for campus mental health services in 2022.
• Passed House Resolutions creating the Commission to Reform Child Care in Illinois and urging federal universal childcare.

“Every working family should have access to high-quality preschool options, regardless of their income.”

“I introduced and passed a House Resolution which creates the Commission to Reform Child Care in Illinois, and I introduced and passed a House Resolution which urges Congress to pass legislation in support of universal childcare services for working families.”

Chad Koppie

Supports eliminating the federal Department of Education

Koppie argues that the U.S. Constitution grants the federal government no authority over education, citing the 10th Amendment. He supports abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, eliminating Common Core, and returning full educational authority to local communities.

• Cites the 10th Amendment to argue federal education authority is unconstitutional.
• Calls for eliminating the National Department of Education.
• Pledges to stop Common Core and return school control to local levels.

“The Constitution grants the Federal Government absolutely no authority over Education; therefore, the 10th Amendment applies”

“Eliminate the National Dept of Education and return the control of the schools to the local level.”

La Shawn Ford

Supports firearm public awareness initiatives

Ford served as Chair of the Firearm Public Awareness Task Force in Illinois, focusing on public awareness and community safety strategies.

• Served as Chair of the Firearm Public Awareness Task Force in Illinois.

“I was Chair of the Firearm Public Awareness Task Force.”

Chad Koppie

Opposes gun control legislation

Koppie is a lifetime member of the NRA and an ardent defender of the Second Amendment. He pledges to vote against all gun control bills.

• Lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
• Pledges to never vote for any gun control legislation.

“Chad supports the 2nd Amendment. He knows that law-abiding Americans can own guns to defend themselves. He'll never vote for any gun control bills.”

La Shawn Ford

Supports permanent Voting Rights Act and civil rights reforms

Ford prioritizes expanding voting rights and civil rights transparency. He passed resolutions urging permanent federal Voting Rights Act protections, supported a constitutional amendment guaranteeing voting rights, ratified the National Popular Vote agreement in Illinois, and enacted prison redistricting reform.

• Passed a House Resolution urging Congress to make Voting Rights Act provisions permanent.
• Sponsored legislation ratifying the National Popular Vote interstate compact in Illinois.
• Passed the 'No Representation Without Population Act' ending prison gerrymandering in legislative redistricting.
• Chief co-sponsor of law requiring corporate board transparency on gender and minority representation.

“I Introduced and passed a House Resolution urging Congress to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to make all its provisions permanent.”

“I introduced legislation that became law stating the State of Illinois ratifies the agreement among the states to elect the President by National Popular Vote”

Chad Koppie

Supports U.S. term limits pledge and drug policy decentralization

Koppie signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge and advocates for strict adherence to constitutional limits on federal power. He maintains that drug enforcement lacks federal authority without a constitutional amendment and should be left to states.

• Signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge.
• Argues federal government lacks constitutional authority for drug laws without an amendment, reserving drug laws to states.
• Pledges to stop the encroachment of the federal government into civil liberties.

“Federal government does not have the authority to implement drug laws without a Constitutional Amendment. Drug laws are a state issue.”

Chad Koppie

Supports complete federal ban on abortion

Koppie places banning abortion at the center of his campaign platform, viewing human life as sacred from conception. He pledges to vote for full federal protection for all unborn children and proposes restrictions on delinquent non-custodial fathers.

• Pledges to vote for federal protection for all human life with no exceptions.
• Proposes restricting alcohol purchases and driver's license privileges for fathers behind on child support payments.

“If I am elected to Congress I shall vote for protection for all human life and leave none out.”

“under my bill, deadbeat dads will not be able to buy alcoholic beverages or packaged liquor until they pay up.”

La Shawn Ford

Supports affordable housing and voucher protections

Ford views affordable housing as critical to community stability and wealth building. In Illinois, he passed legislation banning income-source discrimination against renters with Section 8 vouchers and established a foreclosure prevention task force.

• Introduced legislation banning discrimination against renters based on income sources, protecting Section 8 voucher holders.
• Established a Foreclosure Prevention Task Force on Chicago's West Side during the 2011 housing crisis.
• Advocates public-private partnerships to increase affordable housing inventory and lower rents.

“To tackle homelessness and improve housing access, I introduced legislation that bans discrimination based on income sources, ensuring that people with Section 8 vouchers can find homes.”

Chad Koppie

Supports border wall and mass deportation

Koppie supports strict border control measures, including completing a wall along the southern border and directing ICE to arrest and deport all undocumented immigrants. He opposes amnesty and sanctuary state/city policies.

• Supports building a border wall along the Mexican border.
• Directs ICE to arrest and deport all illegal aliens.
• Opposes amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
• Calls for cracking down on sanctuary cities and repealing the Illinois Trust Act.

“Chad supports building the wall, along the Mexican border. He says that ICE should try to arrest and deport all illegal aliens.”

“Preserve the Rule of Law - NO Amnesty.”

Chad Koppie

Supports Ukraine cease-fire for global agricultural trade

Koppie proposes a 'Truce of Mercy' to mediate a cease-fire in Ukraine during planting, growing, and harvest seasons. He argues that restoring Ukrainian and Russian exports of grain and fertilizer is essential to preventing famine in Third World nations and lowering domestic food prices.

• Proposes mediating a cease-fire in Ukraine during planting, growing, and harvest seasons to secure grain and fertilizer exports.
• Wants Congress to pressure the President to use diplomatic and economic leverage for the cease-fire.
• Supports an 'America First' policy that ends foreign aid.

“What we need right now is a Truce of Mercy. We must immediately see if we can mediate a cease-fire in Ukraine throughout the planting season, the growing season, and the harvest season, so that Russia and Ukraine can once again export grain and fertilizer.”

“End Foreign Aid - Put America first.”