Erica Bray-Parker for State Representative
(D, IL-47)
Erica Bray-Parker is running to represent the 47th State House District, a district in DuPage County covering parts of various municipalities like Wheaton, Naperville, and West Chicago. A civics teacher for over 20 years and a twice elected member of the Wheaton City Council, Erica is someone who knows the district. She was an advocate for the Fair Tax Amendment, she has also fought at the local level for better housing, stronger public schools, and to make life more affordable. We look forward to working with her as a co-governance partner in the years to come.
Jenny Levin for State Representative
(D, IL-51)
Jenny Levin is running to represent the 51st State House District, a District including parts of many Northwest suburbs like Palatine, Hoffman Estates, and Rolling Meadows. Jenny is a registered nurse and has worked in emergency care for over a decade. She has first hand experience with trauma centers and other critical care spaces, and is running to bring that real world experience with why we need dignified healthcare for all to Springfield. She has seen her neighbors struggle with high property taxes and will help us create a more fair tax system in Illinois. In short, she will be another excellent co-governance partner.
Nabeela Syed for State Senate
(D, IL-26)
Nabeela Syed, the current representative of the 51st State House, is running to represent the 26th State Senate district, a district that encompasses all of her current State House District and more western municipalities like Wauconda and part of Algonquin, and we could not be more excited for her. She is running to unseat Republican State Senator, Darby Hills, because the people in the parts of the 26th Senate District she does not currently represent are at risk of losing their health care because of federal budget cuts that Senator Hills’s Republican party supports. These constituents deserve a State Senator who will fight for their health care.
While in office as a State Representative, she has been an ally and a leader on efforts to make prescription drugs more affordable, to make mental health care more accessible to anyone who needs it, to protect reproductive health rights, and to bring meaningful tax relief to working Illinoisans who need it. She has already been an excellent co-governing partner, and we are excited to continue to work with her once she becomes a State Senator.
Ben McAdams for State Senate
(D, IL-24)
We previously announced our endorsement of Ben McAdams, running for State Senator in the 24th State Senate district, which encompasses the 47th House district. While in college, double majoring in finance and economics, Ben became involved with local activism and went on to become a community organizer after graduation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ben began law school at DePaul University’s College of Law. In law school he focused his studies on Public Interest Law, becoming a member of the school’s Society for Asylum and Immigration Law (SAIL), and earning an award for the highest grade in his Civil Rights Law class.
While at DePaul, Ben worked for several legal non-profit organizations including the National Immigrant Justice Center, and Citizen Advocacy Center. Ben’s track record shows that he shares The People’s Lobby’s values, and we look forward to working with him in the Statehouse.
Hilario Dominguez for President, Chicago Board of Education
Hilario Dominguez has built his career organizing alongside students, families, educators, and communities fighting for stronger public schools. A CPS graduate, special education teacher, union organizer, and the son of Mexican immigrants, he believes lasting change comes when the people most affected by public decisions have the power to shape them. His experience in and around CPS has grounded him in the fight for democratic governance, fully supported neighborhood schools, and a public education system accountable to Chicago’s communities. He has also been a longtime People’s Lobby collaborator in fighting for racial and economic justice, from his organizing in the 25th Ward to his work with the Chicago Teachers Union.
As a teacher and organizer, Hilario has seen firsthand how decisions about school funding, staffing, special education, facilities, and student services shape what is possible for young people. His goal as Chicago School Board President is to confront CPS’s immediate funding crisis, protect students and classrooms from damaging cuts, strengthen neighborhood public schools, expand universal full-day Pre-K, build sustainable community schools, and prevent school closures.
Hilario’s vision for the presidency is rooted in making the elected school board a meaningful vehicle for community voice and accountability. He believes Chicago can build a school system where families and educators have a genuine role in shaping decisions and where every student has access to strong, well-supported public schools regardless of their neighborhood.
Ed Bannon for Chicago School Board, District 1A
Ed Bannon is a longtime Northwest Side community leader, CPS parent, and current member of the Chicago Board of Education. He brings years of experience in neighborhood schools, community development, public service, and local governance and is committed to strengthening neighborhood public schools and community participation in CPS.
Claudia Peralta for Chicago School Board, District 1B
Claudia Peralta is an immigrant from Ecuador, a public servant, and a longtime community advocate. She has spent her career working alongside working families and community organizations and is committed to building a CPS that is accountable and responsive to students, families, and educators.
Ebony DeBerry for Chicago School Board, District 2A
Ebony DeBerry is a lifelong Rogers Park resident, CPS graduate, former CPS teacher, parent, community organizer, and current member of the Chicago Board of Education. She has spent years organizing alongside parents and educators to defend neighborhood schools and expand community participation in CPS decision-making. As an organizer with People’s Lobby ally ONE Northside, Ebony has partnered with TPL in many campaigns, including our work for a fair state budget that funds schools and other needed public services.
Debby Pope for Chicago School Board, District 2B
Debby Pope is a retired CPS bilingual teacher, longtime Chicago Teachers Union activist, and current Chicago Board of Education member. A founding member of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE), she has spent decades fighting for equitable school funding, strong neighborhood schools, and public education.
Norma Rios-Sierra for Chicago School Board, District 3A
Debby Pope is a retired CPS bilingual teacher, longtime Chicago Teachers Union activist, and current Chicago Board of Education member. A founding member of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE), she has spent decades fighting for equitable school funding, strong neighborhood schools, and public education.
Jason Dónes for Chicago School Board, District 3B
Jason Dónes is a Humboldt Park native, CPS graduate, former classroom teacher, and parent of two CPS students. With more than 16 years of experience in education, he currently serves as Chief of People and Operations at Beyond100K and has chaired the Local School Council at Moos Elementary. His work focuses on educational equity, culturally responsive teaching, and community involvement in public schools.
Aaron “Jitu” Brown for Chicago School Board, District 5A
Jitu Brown is a lifelong Chicago education organizer, CPS graduate, and current member of the Chicago Board of Education. For decades, he has organized with parents, students, and communities to oppose school closures and advocate for greater investment in neighborhood public schools. While serving as an organizer with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, he led the hunger strike at Dyett High School that successfully pushed CPS to reopen the school as an open enrollment neighborhood public school.
Anusha Thotakura for Chicago School Board, District 6A
Anusha Thotakura is a bilingual former middle-school math teacher, progressive organizer, policy advocate, and current member of the Chicago Board of Education. Her experience in the classroom and in organizing has shaped her commitment to addressing inequality and strengthening Chicago’s public school system. As Executive Director of Citizen Action Illinois, she has fought alongside The People’s Lobby for dignified health care for all, a state budget that taxes corporations and the wealthy, and a variety of other campaigns that will ensure schools, children, parents, and teachers have the resources they deserve.