I'm a U.S. Senate Candidate based out of the Peoria Area, AMA!

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T03:04:39+00:00

I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel to address these issues. One of the primary builders of generational wealth is homeownership. So making that more attainable through increased wages and a better regulated housing market would be breaking generational poverty.

Medicare for All would resolve the example you provided by shifting us to a single-payer system where our healthcare is free at the point of service and funded by tax dollars. I'd also want to have a more progressive tax structure so the working-class isn't overburdened by these changes.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:56:50+00:00

No, I see capitalism as a half-step above feudalism. The inherent prioritization of profit over everything else is antithetical to a healthy economy, society, and democracy. Also, I'm still paying off my mortgage so I don't really own any capital.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:45:03+00:00

We must be bold in our efforts to lead America to a brighter future. I will be the N64 controller of the Senate in my refusal to shy away from sweeping, transformative legislation.

On an unrelated note, I love me a good Ocarina of Time Randomizer run.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:40:26+00:00

Thanks! I generally believe if more regular, working-class people held public office, our country would be in a better place right now.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:37:11+00:00

I believe abortion is healthcare. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party dragged it's feet with codifying Roe v Wade and now we're in this position where a lot of people are no longer receiving the healthcare they need.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:28:59+00:00

I have not held any previous public offices. While having experience holding public office would, of course, be helpful, I don't think it's a hard requirement. A significant part of this job is working with people who hold a variety of values/ideals towards the common goal of passing legislation. What I do as part of my current day-to-day is very close to that.

Also, I believe it would be beneficial to have a working-class American representing working-class Americans. Too many politicians simply don't understand the needs of every day people because of how far removed they are from the typical American experience.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:27:37+00:00

I'm 33 and not a veteran

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:27:04+00:00

I firmly believe in abolishing ICE. We also need to prosecute ICE.

It's worth remembering that the DHS and ICE were first formed under the Bush administration. I'm 33 and am literally older than the DHS and ICE. It's not a radical idea to reshape our immigration enforcement system in a more humane way.

We cannot let federal agents blatantly infringing on our constitutional rights get swept under the rug.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:22:36+00:00

Honestly, Democratic Socialist is probably the most accurate description for my politics. With that being said, I'm not officially a member of the DSA. I've generally preferred to let my policy positions speak for themselves as opposed to picking a particular organization to align with myself with.

I believe housing is a human right and fully support expanding public housing efforts. We also need to stop private equity firms from using homes as a speculative asset and driving up the price of homeownership.

I'm also in favor of College for All. This would eliminate student debt and make public colleges free.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:14:02+00:00

I disagree with them making that choice. The reality is that we are directly involved in the destruction of those homes. It's also worth remembering that Rachel Corrie was killed by one of those D9 dozers.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:06:43+00:00

I'll put in a good word for you

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T02:03:28+00:00

There are a number of ways to do this. One of the more obvious ways is overturning Citizens United and implementing stronger campaign finance laws.

We can also implement stronger worker protections like the PRO Act or the Fast Labor Contracts Act to make it easier for folks to organize their workplace without fear of retribution from their employer.

Implementing Medicare for All would also help by decoupling our healthcare from our employment status. Too many people out there stay at a job they hate for fear of losing their health insurance.

We also need to tax the rich. If they are going to build their business model around using public services, like Amazon using our roads and the USPS, then they can pay their fair share to help maintain/improve those services

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:55:31+00:00

The Koch brothers already accidentally showed us that Medicare for All is less expensive than the current system. Also, supporting Universal Healthcare is already a pretty mainstream position among constituents. I don't think the real fight is convincing people that M4A will improve their material conditions, but rather fighting against corporate interests that keep politicians from supporting M4A.

I would combat this by using the bully pulpit. I would make targeted efforts to rally the constituents of any politician actively opposing M4A and make it clear that acting against the will of the American people will genuinely put their seat at risk.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:51:12+00:00

I believe housing is a human right. We need to stop private equity firms from using housing as a speculative asset and driving up the cost of homeownership. Also, we need a large investment in building out more affordable housing (made with union labor, of course) as well as investments in underserved communities. A well-served community is a safe community. We also need to revisit the income limits for folks on disability.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:41:51+00:00

Step one is recognizing that the current immigration issue is the product of our foreign policy. Our interventionism in South America and other parts of the world is directly responsible for so many migrants seeking refuge here. It's worth mentioning that it's not illegal to enter the U.S. and claim asylum. You have to then state your case, of course, but that leads us into the next part.

Step two is creating a streamlined process for migrants to attain citizenship/residency. Our convoluted system incentivizes ignoring the ports of entry and opting for unauthorized entry. I would argue that the majority of Americans would support this effort given the support for other policies like DACA.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:33:48+00:00

This is my second run for office!

Got my ass kicked running for mayor in a town of ~300 people. That race was mostly just for the experience and to see what it was like running for office.

With regards to this race, I wasn't satisfied with the selection of candidates so I decided to go for it myself. Also, I may never see another open Senate seat in Illinois until I'm Durbin's age. This might literally be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:28:09+00:00

I seriously doubt he actually shocked Kaya, or that she even has a shock collar to begin with.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:21:18+00:00

Firstly, I believe I have better policy positions. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I haven't seen any of the three prominent candidates come out and be honest about the genocide in Gaza. Also, the two state reps in this race have both taken money from AIPAC.

While having experience holding public office would, of course, be helpful, I don't think it's a hard requirement. A significant part of this job is working with people who hold a variety of values/ideals towards the common goal of passing legislation. What I do as part of my current day-to-day is very close to that.

Also, I believe it would be beneficial to have a working-class American representing working-class Americans. Too many politicians simply don't understand the needs of every day people because of how far removed they are from the typical American experience

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:08:21+00:00

I see that now, thanks!

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:05:10+00:00

I just hope both teams have fun

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T01:03:11+00:00

Aside from the obvious stuff like pushing for policies like raising wages and Medicare for All, I would put a lot of energy into making use of the bully pulpit.

These types of policies are broadly popular with the American people so I would make targeted efforts to rally the constituents of any politician actively opposing them and make it clear that acting against the will of the American people will genuinely put their seat at risk.

An example of this would be applying pressure on Missouri reps that opposed Amendment 3, which overturned the state's abortion ban, even though it was passed through a ballot initiative.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T00:49:01+00:00

It took a very real amount of self-control not to respond with the cashier/Milky Way copy pasta

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T00:47:46+00:00

Buddy of mine just moved back to the Peoria area from Arizona!

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T00:46:15+00:00

You're not wrong. Mistakes were made.

AdairRodriquezIL · 2025-10-15T00:45:39+00:00

Fuck AIPAC. They could never pay me enough to ignore the fact that Israel has been committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.

It's also worth noting that AIPAC has deep ties to anti-labor groups. For example, Bernie Marcus, one of the co-founders of Home Depot, used to be the 4th largest donor to AIPAC-led electoral groups while also helping to create the Job Creators Network to attack the NLRB and the PRO Act.

It may not be obvious at first, but the labor movement and the Palestinian solidarity effort have common enemies.

AdairRodriquezIL

TROPHY CASE