Please join some of our political friends in Washington, DC for a Reception in for Nikki Budzinski, Candidate for Congress in IL-13
It’s exciting when someone you know runs for office – and even more exciting when you genuinely believe in them because of their shared values and life experiences. If you happen to be in DC – please join us in person but if not – you can still donate here anytime.
Please join GAIN Power founder Amy Pritchard and many of our fellow Democratic & Progressive political professionals, activists, and labor advocates in supporting Nikki Budzinski for Congress. I’ve known Nikki for many years as a Democratic & Labor leader, which is how I know she will be an incredible advocate for working families because it is precisely what she has been for her whole life.
About Nikki
Nikki Budzinski has spent her life fighting for workers and working families. She believes in the American Dream and will bring people together to level the playing field and rebuild the middle class so families have a shot to get ahead.
Born in Peoria, Nikki’s parents taught her the importance of family, community, and service to others. From her grandpa, a union painter, she saw how unions built and sustained the middle class. From her grandma, a public school teacher, she learned the value of a good education. Nikki attended the University of Illinois Champaign and was inspired to devote her life to public service after interning for former Congressman Dick Gephardt, former Senator Paul Simon, and Planned Parenthood.
Nikki has spent her entire adult life standing up for working families. After college, Nikki traveled the country fighting to get hardworking people the pay and workplace safety conditions they deserve. She worked for the IAFF Firefighters’ union to help look out for our first responders who put their lives on the line for us every day, making sure they have the equipment, training, and health protections they need. Then she stood with UFCW workers, making sure grocery workers and meatpackers got a fair day’s pay and workplace protections at dangerous processing plants. She also fought to protect workers’ rights to collectively bargain for fair pay, safety protections, and benefits in states trying to attack those rights.
As Governor JB Pritzker’s senior advisor on labor issues, Nikki successfully led the charge to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. By bringing workers, small businesses, and elected officials to the negotiating table Nikki worked to make sure that all working families across Illinois can maintain a decent standard of living. Also in the Governor’s office, Nikki served as the Chair of Broadband Advisory Council that expanded high-speed “broadband” internet across Illinois.