Nikhil Bhatia, Illinois 7th Congressional District

In January 2024, Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ editors emailed a questionnaire to candidates in contested Illinois March 19 primary races for Congress, requesting biographical information as well as their views on issues ranging from the Israel-Hamas conflict and the migrant crisis to the country’s economy. Answers have been lightly edited for typos, minor grammar and consistency in styling, but not for content or length. Age was calculated as of Feb. 6, 2024.

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By Tony Arnold | WBEZ

 

Nikhil Bhatia: I support the president’s attempts to broker a cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages. I do support Israel’s right to defend itself. However, the military action in Gaza has gone on long enough and seen far too many civilian casualties. It is not a practical military goal for Israel to “eliminate” Hamas or remain in Gaza indefinitely. Instead, the U.S. must work with Israel to find regional support from allies like Saudi Arabia to help rebuild Gaza and empower moderate political forces within Gaza.

Ultimately, for Israel to achieve long-term peace, there needs to be the creation of an independent and autonomous Palestinian state. Two states for the two indigenous people of that land is the only viable and just long-term solution. I strongly disagree with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s belief that there should never be a second state. While I will never support a Hamas-led state or excuse terrorism, the international community must work with entities like the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which has signaled a willingness to cooperate with Israel and co-exist peacefully. Netanyahu has not acted in good faith towards the Palestinian Authority, and the increase of Israeli settlements in the West Bank ultimately undermine the chances of a separate state. President Biden should make it clear that it will support Israel’s right to defend itself, but in doing so, it will not indefinitely support an Israeli leadership that refuses to work towards compromise in creating a second state.

Nikhil Bhatia: I wholeheartedly support the president’s request for additional military aid to Ukraine. The United States is not just a country; it is the leader of the free world. That is the ideal that has drawn so many people, including my parents, to the U.S. We can not walk away from our commitment to Ukraine now. The president has done an excellent job leading our allies in the effort to support Ukraine. The support has worked, as Ukraine has ably defended themselves from Russian attacks and maintained sovereignty over most of its land. If we turn our back on Ukraine, we will be abandoning the international coalition that have helped keep Ukraine afloat. It will signal to other allies, like Taiwan, that we are not serious about upholding our commitments. Doing so would also mean giving in to Putin and abandoning the cause of democracy and freedom on the European continent. That is simply unacceptable. Putin is counting on America to lose its resolve in Ukraine. He is becoming increasingly brazen in his attacks on domestic and foreign rivals. We must remain strong and work in a bipartisan manner to continue funding the war effort in Ukraine. The job is not done yet.

Nikhil Bhatia: The biggest threat to our democracy is the increasing unresponsiveness of the government to public opinion. Sadly, our democracy has been atrophying since well before Jan. 6, 2021. There is a growing sentiment amongst voters that their leaders in Washington do not represent their best interests. I am proposing a robust suite of changes to our electoral system in order for our government to be more functional and better represent constituents.

1) Instituting term limits for legislators. I believe senators should serve a maximum of 2 terms and representatives should serve a maximum of 6 terms. This is not a new idea, but it has been abandoned since the Gingrich Revolution in 1994. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have become more worried about staying in power than using their power to serve the people. Because it is so hard to displace incumbents, the result is stasis and a lack of new ideas.

2) Implementing ranked choice voting. This exists in a couple states, but I believe we should adopt it nationally. Ranked choice voting helps push candidates towards the center and coalition building. Currently, our government is too polarized to get anything done. Incentivizing a broad base of support would make compromise more feasible. This is not a partisan issue; ranked choice voting helped elect a moderate Democrat to Congress in Alaska and a moderate Republican to the Senate in Maine. It is simple and effective.

3) Abolishing the Electoral College. The Electoral College is anti-democratic and has elected two presidents this century who did not win a majority of the vote. Abolishing the Electoral College would force candidates to compete for votes in every state, not just the handful of “swing states.”

4) End gerrymandering. Congressional districts (including the Illinois 7th) are heavily gerrymandered to protect incumbents. This robs voters the chance of accountability through elections. I would support a national bill to end gerrymandering or recommend independent commissions draw fair districts at the state level for all states.

5) Term limits for judges: While the judiciary must be independent, there is currently no accountability mechanism for judges once appointed. This has led to a split between public opinion and judicial decisions, like Dobbs. Supreme Court judges should serve 15-year terms on a rotating basis, so each president (in one term) can nominate two judges. Public policy is too important to be decided by the health of one particular judge.

Nikhil Bhatia: There is a crisis at the southern border, and its effects are being felt acutely in our district. The surge of tens of thousands of migrants into Chicago have put an incredible strain on communities that were already under-resourced. While I believe in treating people humanely, the first step to alleviating the burden on Chicago is to limit the number of people illegally crossing into the country.

First of all, I believe we need to invest more in our Border Patrol to ensure we secure the southern border. We must know who and what is coming into our country. Second, I believe we need to limit the grounds for asylum; right now they are too broad, and it is contributing to the crisis. We need to better fund judicial courts to speed up asylum hearings. Rather than taking years, we need these cases to happen in months, so that the government can swiftly decide whether or not to allow a person to stay in the country before they become embedded in our community. Lastly, I believe we should increase foreign aid to address the root cause of this mass migration. If we can help stabilize countries like Venezuela, there will be less of a need for people to risk their lives in crossing the southern border.

To better address the current situation, cities like Chicago and Oak Park that are housing thousands of migrants need federal dollars. Our city governments should not be left to fend for themselves while trying to integrate tens of thousands of migrants. Congressman Davis has said that getting federal aid is “like pulling teeth.” But that is the job. In order for us to support the migrants and still invest in our neighborhoods, we need federal help.

Nikhil Bhatia: Overall, the federal immigration system needs many reforms beyond the border. We need to limit illegal immigration into the country, as outlined above. I also believe we should expand legal immigration by increasing the cap for H-1B visas to allow more highly skilled workers to move here and help boost our economy. We should also increase the amount of H-2B visas to allow more temporary workers into the country, which will help small businesses fend off rising labor costs. I believe we should have a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented residents and pass the DREAM ACT, as this is the only country that many young people have ever known. I am a first-generation American and I know the benefits of immigration. We can and must be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants at the same time.

Nikhil Bhatia: I would begin attacking the deficit by focusing on tax increases for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations. Some of our richest citizens, like Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos, pay an effective tax rate near 0%. If school teachers like myself are expected to pay our fair share in taxes, so too should the extremely fortunate, as they benefit from government investments in infrastructure, education, and public safety. I support President Biden’s proposal to increase IRS funding to crack down on people cheating the system. I also believe we should increase taxes on capital gains, which disproportionately benefit the top 0.1% of Americans. I would end tax deductions for big corporations that generate income from fossil fuels, which create an enormous negative externality by contributing to climate change.

In terms of cutting spending, I believe we should make every government program as efficient as possible. Part of my job in Congress would be oversight of departments and cracking down on waste, like those seen after the Covid relief bill; it’s critical that we are careful stewards of taxpayer dollars. My outlook on spending and entitlements is informed by an important idea I learned at the Harris School: the marginal utility of a dollar. That is, a dollar means a lot more to lower-income citizens than the wealthy. I would use that frame when considering entitlements. I would oppose cutting entitlements for low and middle income Americans. I am open to the idea of means-testing certain benefits, like Social Security, if the program’s solvency depends on it. I would also consider raising the limit for paying the Social Security payroll tax to increase revenue.

Ultimately, it is important as Democrats that we protect entitlements, and that means making sure they are solvent. We must be fact-based in working on budgetary issues and aim to preserve the safety net for those who need it the most.

Nikhil Bhatia: The economic situation has improved, but too many families are still struggling with the after-effects of rising costs. To better support our middle class, I would propose these three steps:

1) Continue to invest in domestic manufacturing. President Biden made great strides towards this by investing in renewable energy and with the CHIPS Act. The U.S. needs to become more independent in energy and manufacturing, so we are not subject to price shocks from foreign events, like Russia’s war in Ukraine. Creating more manufacturing jobs will also help bring blue collar jobs back to the 7th District.

2) We must keep investing in education, from universal pre-K through college. I applaud the president’s decision to alleviate college debt. Making day care and college more affordable will help working families who are struggling to pay skyrocketing prices for both. They will also open more doors of opportunities for our young people and enable them to get high-paying jobs when they become adults.

3) We need to better support our middle-class families by continuing the child tax credit and finally instituting paid family-leave for new parents. Investing in kids is one of the best and most morally sound things we can do.

Nikhil Bhatia: A key concern I hear across our district is public safety. From violent crime to auto theft, every neighborhood in our district has been impacted by crime and has expressed their basic need to feel safe in their home and community. There are many ways to attack this problem:

1) I believe we need stricter gun laws. First, we need to institute universal background checks on all firearms. Second, we need to ban the sale of assault weapons like the AR-15 used commonly in mass shootings. We can not have situations like Uvalde where the police are afraid to confront an assailant because they are out-gunned. I propose a government buy-back of existing assault weapons to get them off the street. Third, we need stricter “red flag” rules to take away guns from domestic abusers, which commonly leads to violence against women.

2) We need more financial support for local law enforcement. I believe in responsible, community policing and reforms, but I do not believe in defunding the police. Effective and just law enforcement do not have to be mutually exclusive. Right now, the police barely have the resources they need to address and solve the cases that are happening in Chicago. If there is no legal justice, crime will continue because there is no deterrent. We should de-prioritize non-violent crime and increase grants to local municipalities to help give law enforcement the resources they need to solve violent crime cases.

3) We must prioritize economic development in our most disinvested neighborhoods. This is a root issue for cyclical poverty and crime. The federal government must invest in neighborhoods like Englewood and Austin, and partner with local governments and businesses to bring jobs to those under-served communities. If a neighborhood does not have jobs or safety, people will move out of them. This is exactly what has happened on much of the south and west side of Chicago, and that only reinforces the vicious cycle of disinvestment. We should especially focus on small business grants to minority-owned businesses; temporary tax incentives, like the one used to bring Whole Foods to Englewood, have not proven successful. Instead, we should invest in people who are committed to their community.

4) We need stable and affordable housing. Instability in housing has perpetuated a feeling that we lack public safety. We need to make it easier to build housing, period. Right now, there is too much bureaucratic red tape that makes housing development too lengthy and costly. We should also provide development grants to convert commercial space to residential spaces downtown. Commercial spaces will never fully recover from the pandemic; instead, let’s be forward thinking and help revitalize downtown by converting these spaces into housing. An increase in housing supply will of course lead to a decrease in prices. Lastly, we must invest more in public health services to help treat those that suffer from addiction.

Nikhil Bhatia: I am the best-qualified candidate to represent the Illinois’ 7th Congressional District because my life experiences and training have uniquely qualified me to do so. I am the only candidate in the race who has had a recent career outside of politics. The job of a “representative” is to represent the people they serve. I have spent my entire career in urban education, 10 years as a teacher and 5 years as a principal. I work on the South Side of Chicago and am intimately aware of the challenges our youth, their parents, and our communities are facing in a post-Covid world. I am also a father of two young children myself, and I serve on the LSC of my daughter’s CPS school. When I go to Washington, I will bring the perspective of a teacher who knows what our students need inside and outside the classroom, and what kind of support our parents and communities need in the city of Chicago. I also graduated with an evening masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. I believe I have a unique ability to combine real-world perspective with an academic understanding of policies and how to best serve our district. This is a very diverse district, both racially and socio-economically. I am a first-generation Asian-American, married to a white woman, with biracial children, who speaks conversational Spanish and has worked in the Black community his whole career. I believe I can speak to constituents across the district.

I also have the strongest reform platform of any candidate: I believe in terms limits, ranked choice voting, abolishing the Electoral College, refusing corporate PAC money, ending gerrymandering, and banning stock-trading by Congress. The other candidates for this seat come with serious concerns:

1. Congressman Davis has had an admirable 45-year career in elected office, but it is time for a change. During his Congressional tenure, he has missed three times as many votes as the average member of Congress. We need our representative to show up for us in Washington.
2. The city ethics board found probable cause that our city treasurer, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, wrongly fired whistleblowers who complained about running personal errands on the public dime. She had to pay out a 6-figure settlement using public dollars. They also found she pressured a bank to give her friend preferential treatment on a mortgage. She has abused her office for personal gain; she should not hold elected office here, in Washington, or anywhere.
3. Kina Collins is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists and believes that we should defund the police and abolish immigration enforcement. Both of those stances would be disastrous for the communities we represent and toxic for the Democratic Party.

Our Democratic Party needs new, mainstream voices that can speak across the public spectrum. I am a proud Chicagoan, and through my life’s work, I believe I am ready and well-equipped to advocate for every part of this district, from Englewood to Downtown to Oak Park and Maywood. It’s time for change and change can’t wait.