Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, is facing something she didn’t have in her first reelection bid two years ago: a primary challenger.
Dylan Blaha, a progressive and an Illinois National Guard member, is aiming to beat Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, which includes most of the Metro East.
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In many ways, his challenge against the second-term congresswoman represents a nationwide debate among the Democratic Party: Would a younger, more progressive generation be better prepared to push back against the Trump administration, or do the current Democratic members of Congress deserve another term?
Less than one month away from early voting, Budzinski says her party made mistakes in 2024. First of all, she said, Democrats lost touch with one of their most important voting blocs: the working class.
“We spent too much time trying to convince working people that the economy was good, and we were coming at them with a lot of facts and figures,” Budzinski said on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. “Interestingly, I think that's something that President Trump is also making that same mistake right now, too — with facts and figures that just don't resonate.”
Democrats didn’t take the U.S.-Mexico border seriously until it was too late, she said. Former President Joe Biden was too old to run for a second term, and her party would have benefited from open presidential primaries, said Budzinski, a former Biden official.
She also disagreed with retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, on two key votes last year. Durbin voted in favor of a GOP spending plan to fund the government in March. He also voted with seven other members of the Democratic caucus to end the shutdown in November.
“I think we disagree with each other sometimes as elected officials, and that's OK,” she said.
Everyday affordability
In order for Democrats to win control of the House in the midterm elections, Budzinski said her party will need to stay focused on making everyday life, expenses like utilities, child care, groceries and rent, more affordable.
“These are the struggles that I think people are facing every day,” she said. “Making the case that, as Democrats, we are the ones that are best suited to fight for them and get real results done for them in Washington.”
To tackle affordability, Budzinski said bringing back the now-expired Affordable Care Act tax credits would be a good start. Even though the Senate didn’t vote to bring them back in December, the House recently passed that legislation.
Pharmacy benefit managers have also been a target for the congresswoman. Just last month, she introduced a bill that includes a prohibition on those organizations inflating drug prices. The federal government should also negotiate more drug prices, as is done with insulin for Medicare patients.
“We should do that for those in private insurance, but we shouldn't stop with insulin,” she said. “We should continue to find more drugs to negotiate on and bring down the cost of prescription drugs.”
After reading about allegations of deceptive price tactics by Family Dollar and Dollar General, Budzinski and other lawmakers authored a letter to the chief executives of the companies, asking for an explanation.
Immigration and foreign policy
While the Biden White House should have done more at the border, the Trump administration's use of ICE has been “horrendous,” Budzinski said. That’s why she will join her colleagues in supporting the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“This administration seems to think that ICE is above the law,” she said. “They are not.”
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s capture by American forces is a mixed bag, Budzinski said. On one hand, Maduro isn’t defendable, and “it’s a good thing that he’s gone.” However, Trump didn’t consult Congress, and his administration has said it may take action in Greenland, Mexico and Colombia, she said.
“Focus on our people,” she said.
The Senate recently took a procedural vote to debate limiting the White House’s action in Venezuela without congressional approval. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri drew the ire of Trump for siding with Democrats to advance the legislation. If it reaches the House, Budzinski said she’d vote for it.
Cahokia Heights sewers
Budzinski's congressional office said last week that $7.3 million for sewer repairs in Cahokia Heights and $500,000 for a regional Army Corps of Engineers study regarding flooding passed the House budget, and it’s expected to pass the Senate, too.
“I'm excited about both of them for different reasons, but they obviously all fit together in this master puzzle that we have that is Cahokia Heights,” she said.
The 13th Congressional District, which includes most of the population in St. Clair and Madison counties, stretches from East St. Louis to Springfield and Urbana-Champaign.
Early voting starts Feb. 5 in Illinois, and the primary election is March 17.
Editor’s note: St. Louis Public Radio will post its interview with Blaha later this week. It also plans to sit down with both Republican candidates, Jeff Wilson and Joshua Loyd.
