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Candidates › IL-07 race › 2025–2026
La Shawn Ford
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, IL-07
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Illinois US House 7
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Affordable Housing Plan for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District
- What Women Are Facing Right Now
- I Trust Women to Make Decisions for Themselves
- This Is About Life and Accountability
- Fair Work Deserves Fair Pay
- Money
- $819.3K raised, $725.8K spent, $93.5K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 7.5% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 95% from Illinois · largest committee giver MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS, $5K
- Outside groups
- $10 supporting, $2.5M opposing Ford
- Backed by
- Danny Davis · Emanuel “Chris” Welch · Kimberly Lightford and 49 more. As the campaign lists them
31 priorities from fordforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Housing is infrastructure. When it fails, everything else breaks.
In Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, housing determines whether families can stay rooted, seniors can age with dignity, and young people can build a future in the communities they love. When housing becomes unstable, costs rise across the board, workers are pushed farther from jobs, and neighborhoods lose the people who hold them together.
This plan treats housing as essential infrastructure. It is grounded in existing federal law, proven housing models already operating across the United States, and the real conditions facing communities from downtown Chicago to Oak Park, Proviso, Englewood, Austin, and across the West Side.
Every element of this plan is realistic, enforceable, and within the authority of Congress.
District reality this plan responds to ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
Illinois’ 7th Congressional District is fully urban and majority renter. Much of the housing stock consists of older two-to-four flats and small multifamily buildings without permanent affordability protections. Rents have risen faster than wages, while seniors and longtime homeowners face housing loss due to repair costs and property tax volatility.
Public housing developments carry long-documented capital repair backlogs. Evictions and housing instability are concentrated in specific ZIP codes, creating ripple effects that raise costs and displacement pressure across the entire district.
These are not abstract trends. They are documented conditions recognized by federal and local housing authorities and experienced daily by residents across income levels.
Housing affordability is a shared challenge across incomes ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
Housing instability hits hardest those with the least resources, but it does not stop there. Young workers, middle-income families, seniors on fixed incomes, college students, and first-time homebuyers are increasingly priced out despite working full time and doing everything right.
For many residents, the barrier is no longer income alone, but access to fair credit, reasonable interest rates, and first-time buyer support.
When rents rise faster than wages and starter homes disappear into speculative markets, the entire housing system breaks down. This plan is designed to stabilize that system for everyone by preserving existing homes, expanding mixed-income housing, limiting predatory investment, and creating durable paths to homeownership.
Housing policy should keep communities intact, not force people into categories.
Federal tools this plan uses ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
This plan relies on existing federal programs and authorities, including:
- Housing Choice Vouchers and project-based vouchers
- Low-Income Housing Tax Credits
- The National Housing Trust Fund
- HOME Investment Partnerships and Emergency Solutions Grants
- Public Housing Capital Funds
- Community Development and CDFI financing
No new agencies are created. This plan strengthens and better targets the tools already available.
Measurable Targets ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
Priority Area
Target
Housing preservation
Preserve at least 3 existing affordable homes for every 1 new unit built using federal resources
Eviction reduction
Reduce eviction filings by at least 25 percent in targeted high-risk ZIP codes
Permanent affordability
Secure long-term affordability protections on thousands of existing units
Voucher utilization
Increase voucher use and landlord participation
Public housing modernization
Prioritize repairs addressing health and safety risks
Senior housing stability
Reduce displacement risk through rental assistance and home repair grants
Why these targets are realistic for the 7th District ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
These targets are grounded in existing federal programs, documented housing conditions, and the implementation capacity already present in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. Most affordable homes in the district already exist in older small multifamily buildings, making preservation faster and more cost-effective than relying on new construction alone. Eviction prevention, legal defense, and rental assistance programs have already shown measurable reductions in displacement where they are funded. This plan focuses on scaling what already works, targeting investment where housing instability is most concentrated, and holding programs accountable through public reporting.
Actions ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand eviction prevention, legal defense, and diversion programs in high-risk ZIP codes
- Increase emergency rental assistance to prevent housing loss before families enter shelters
- Enforce habitability and fair housing standards in federally assisted housing
Pillar 2: Preserve existing affordable housing at scale ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Prioritize preservation of older two-to-twenty-unit buildings common across the district
- Support acquisition and rehabilitation by mission-driven developers and community organizations
- Provide low-cost capital to small property owners in exchange for long-term affordability and fair-housing compliance
Pillar 3: Build affordable and mixed-income housing where it belongs ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for urban districts with documented housing shortages
- Prioritize mixed-income developments near transit, healthcare, schools, and employment centers
- Use surplus federal land for affordable housing before it is sold to private buyers
- Support zoning reforms that allow modest density increases when paired with affordability requirements and tenant protections
Why this matters
Building housing in the right places reduces pressure on rents across the market and keeps working families close to jobs and services.
Pillar 4: Make affordability permanent ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand Community Land Trusts to keep homes permanently affordable and out of speculative markets
- Support limited-equity cooperatives and shared-equity homeownership models
- Fund targeted home repair grants for seniors and low-income homeowners to prevent displacement caused by deferred maintenance
Permanent affordability prevents public dollars from chasing rising market prices year after year.
Expanding access to homeownership and credit ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand federal down payment and gap assistance for first-time homebuyers, prioritizing historically underserved and high-cost communities
- Support increased funding and improved utilization of Housing Choice Vouchers, including expanded use of project-based vouchers
- Align federal housing programs with state housing agencies, including IHDA, to modernize credit and underwriting standards that unnecessarily exclude qualified first-time buyers
- Incentivize banks, CDFIs, and mission-driven lenders to offer lower-interest specialty loans for first-time buyers in targeted underserved communities
- Support housing stability for college students and recent graduates by reducing housing-related debt pressures and expanding affordable rental and ownership options near campuses and job centers
- Fight to bring Illinois its fair share of federal housing and infrastructure funding, helping reduce financial pressure on state and local governments while supporting efforts to keep homeownership affordable for working families and seniors.
Stable housing and homeownership should not depend on perfect credit, generational wealth, or rigid systems that no longer reflect economic reality.
Pillar 5: Public housing modernization and resident protection ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Fully fund long-overdue public housing repairs
- Remove health hazards such as mold and lead
- Improve energy efficiency to lower utility costs
- Protect residents’ rights during rehabilitation and modernization
Pillar 6: Housing, health, and stability ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand permanent supportive housing for people cycling through shelters, hospitals, and incarceration
- Align housing investments with healthcare systems to reduce emergency costs
- Protect housing stability services tied to Medicaid and community health programs
Clear contrast ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
This plan rejects the failed idea that the market alone will house everyone.
- It rejects policies that favor large investors over local residents
- It rejects cuts to vouchers, public housing, and fair housing enforcement
- It rejects inaction that allows displacement to become normalized
Instead, it uses public dollars to produce public benefit, with accountability.
Top priorities in Congress ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
- Expand preservation and affordability tools
Support legislation strengthening LIHTC, vouchers, preservation financing, and the National Housing Trust Fund.
- Fully fund public housing repairs and modernization
Address long-standing capital backlogs and protect residents during rehabilitation.
- Reduce displacement and eviction
Expand eviction prevention, legal defense, and enforcement of habitability standards.
- Curb predatory housing practices
Increase transparency and accountability for large corporate investors and landlords receiving federal assistance.
- Align housing with health and economic stability
Support permanent supportive housing and housing stability services tied to healthcare delivery.
My message to the 7th Congressional District ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district at this heading)
From downtown Chicago to Oak Park, from Englewood to Austin, from West Loop renters to seniors who have lived in the same home for decades, the question is the same.
Will we be able to stay?
Housing is what holds a district together. When housing becomes unstable, everything else follows. Families are forced farther from work. Seniors are pushed out of the neighborhoods they built. Young people do everything right and still cannot afford to put down roots. Communities lose teachers, nurses, service workers, and first responders not because they want to leave, but because they cannot stay.
This plan is designed to prevent that slide.
- It keeps people housed now
- It protects the homes we already have
- It builds new housing where people actually live and work
- It makes affordability permanent so public dollars serve the public for the long term
- It treats housing as infrastructure, not a luxury
Most importantly, it recognizes that the 7th Congressional District is one community. What happens in downtown affects Oak Park. What happens in Englewood affects the West Loop. Displacement in one neighborhood raises costs everywhere else. Stability in one place strengthens the whole district.
I am running for Congress to fight for a housing system that works for the people who live here, not just those who profit from it. This plan is realistic, enforceable, and ready to move forward. It reflects our values and meets the moment we are in.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/affordable-housing-plan-for-illinois-7th-congressional-district
Women are being asked to do more while federal protections are being stripped away.
Healthcare costs are rising. Reproductive freedom is under attack. Childcare is unaffordable. Student debt is holding women back. Wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. Maternal health gaps, especially for Black women, remain deadly. Violence against women persists, and retirement security is increasingly fragile.
At the same time, cuts to basic family supports hit women first. When programs like SNAP are reduced, women are often the ones stretching food budgets, planning meals, and making impossible choices to keep families fed. Nutrition programs are not just about food access, they are about stability, health, and dignity. When families are supported, crises are prevented.
Under a Trump-driven agenda, women have seen rights rolled back, enforcement weakened, and care pushed out of reach. I reject that direction. Government should protect women, not police them.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
In my role as a state Representative, I passed laws expanding access to health coverage and preventive care, including insurance reforms and protections for essential screenings. I will bring that same commitment to protecting women’s autonomy and access to Congress.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Codify the right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and contraception
- Protect patient privacy and medical decision making
- Defend healthcare providers from political interference
- Expand affordable coverage and access to local care
I have protected healthcare access before. I will protect it again, this time at the federal level.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
No mother should be lost to a preventable failure.
I have fought to expand healthcare access and close gaps in maternal outcomes through community-focused public health legislation. Improving maternal health also means strengthening the care teams women trust throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery.
Midwives and doulas play a critical role in supporting healthy pregnancies and safe births, particularly in Black communities where outcomes have too often been overlooked. Community-based models of care work. When they are supported, women and babies do better. When they are dismantled, women pay the price.
In Congress, I will fight to: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Expand postpartum care and follow-up services
- Invest in community-based maternal health providers
- Require transparency and accountability in hospital maternal outcomes
- Close racial gaps in maternal care and treatment
- Expand federal training, certification, and support for midwives and doulas
Maternal health is not optional. It is a moral obligation.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
My record includes fighting for workers, wage protections, and economic fairness for women and families. In the Illinois legislature, I helped pass laws raising wage floors, protecting worker rights, and expanding anti-discrimination protections that benefit women in the workforce.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Enforce equal pay laws with real consequences
- Expand paid family and medical leave
- Protect fair scheduling practices and workplace accommodations
- Support working women and responsible small businesses together
Economic independence is foundational to stability and opportunity.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
I have supported policies that strengthen working families and recognize caregiving as essential work.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Lower childcare costs through sustained federal investment
- Increase wages for childcare workers
- Expand access to high-quality early childhood education
- Support parents balancing work, school, and caregiving
Childcare is essential infrastructure, not a side issue.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
Before serving in the legislature, I was a teacher. I understand what education looks like in real classrooms because I lived it. I saw how education opens doors and how debt, discrimination, and lack of support can close them just as quickly, especially for women.
Throughout my career, I have fought for education access and affordability because opportunity should not come with a lifetime of debt.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Reduce student loan burdens that delay economic stability for women
- Expand Pell Grants and workforce training that lead to real careers
- Protect women from discrimination in education and training programs
- Support women returning to school later in life, including mothers and caregivers
Education should create opportunity, not long-term hardship.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
I have supported survivor protections and community safety efforts with action, not just statements.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Fully fund survivor services and shelters
- Strengthen enforcement of violence prevention laws
- Protect survivors in housing, healthcare, and the workplace
- Support trauma-informed recovery and justice
Safety is a right, and government must uphold it.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
Protecting seniors has been a core part of my public service. I have worked to defend benefits, lower healthcare costs, and support caregivers and older women living alone.
In Congress, I will: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform at this heading)
- Protect and strengthen Social Security against cuts or privatization
- Lower prescription drug and healthcare costs for seniors
- Defend pensions and retirement savings workers earned
- Support caregivers and aging women who need stable, affordable care
Women should not face poverty simply because they lived longer, earned less, or spent years caring for others.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/women-for-ford-a-governing-platform
Fighting for Families. Supporting Providers. Empowering Teachers.
La Shawn K. Ford is ready to take Illinois’ progress to the national stage. He understands that families are struggling with rising child care costs, providers are fighting to keep their doors open, and teachers are being asked to do more with less.
His congressional agenda will deliver for all three.
Ford’s Priorities in Congress: ↗ (opens fordforcongress.com/child-care-early-learning-teachers at this heading)
- Increase federal funding for Head Start and Early Head Start to strengthen early learning from birth onward
- Bring additional federal dollars into state child care systems to expand access and stabilize a strained provider network
- Expand eligibility and financial support for working families seeking quality care
- Strengthen universal preschool expansion so every community benefits
- Support teacher pipelines that recruit, retain, and grow a diverse educator workforce
- Advance fair pay, professional respect, and recognition for early educators and K–12 teachers
Ford believes that investing in early education and the people who make it possible builds the foundation for every child’s future.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/child-care-early-learning-teachers
No parent should have to choose between earning a paycheck and caring for their child.
Ford has long championed working families by expanding CCAP, lowering costs, and restoring funding after statewide cuts. His congressional plan continues this fight by:
- Expanding affordability and access
- Reducing financial burdens
- Ensuring every child is safe, learning, and supported
When families thrive, communities flourish.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/child-care-early-learning-teachers
Child care providers are the workforce behind every other workforce.
Ford understands the pressure providers face just to keep their doors open. His plan supports them by:
- Increasing federal investment in child care centers and programs
- Expanding facility improvement and workforce pipeline funding
- Advocating for fair pay, benefits, and professional development
- Ensuring equity for home-based and center-based providers alike
When we support providers, we strengthen entire neighborhoods.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · fordforcongress.com/child-care-early-learning-teachers