By Endangered Republic Press
A Different Kind of Senate Candidate
Conventional political wisdom, whatever that really means anymore, might say Awisi Quartey Bustos won’t be the next U.S. Senator from Illinois. She’s a longshot in a crowded Democratic primary dominated by better-funded, higher-profile candidates. However, her candidacy reflects something Illinois voters increasingly express: a desire for leadership that prioritizes problem-solving over partisan posturing and a commitment to working across divides instead of deepening them.
In a time when extreme partisanship endangers the core of American democracy, as former California Police Chief and global development strategist Nicholas Sensley points out in his recent book “Endangered Republic,” Bustos represents a different path. Not because of her party affiliation, but because her record shows something rarer: the ability to build coalitions and achieve results by viewing governance as service rather than conflict.
Building Bridges in a Polarized Landscape
Bustos’s biography reads like a masterclass in bridging divides. Born in Benin to Ghanaian parents serving as diplomats, she grew up across four continents before settling in the United States. She speaks five languages and earned her law degree, focusing on human rights and immigration. As CEO of the Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs since 2023, she has overseen programs serving more than 60,000 young people across 159 sites statewide.
Credentials alone don’t win Senate seats. What sets Bustos apart is how she’s leveraged those credentials. In 2024, she secured the first-ever state appropriation for the Boys & Girls Clubs, $4 million in the state budget, by building relationships across party lines. The funding was supported by Democratic appropriators who highlighted the bipartisan effort to support youth development over political theatrics.
Her government resume spans more than a decade: five years in Senator Dick Durbin’s office processing immigration cases, two years as senior policy advisor in the Illinois Department of Human Services, co-leading statewide strategies on poverty elimination and violence prevention. She’s worked at every level from the Illinois Supreme Court to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The common thread? A focus on practical outcomes for real people.
What Illinois and America Need Now
Nicholas Sensley’s “Endangered Republic” argues that America’s greatest threat isn’t external but internal: the transformation of fellow citizens into partisan enemies. He calls for a return to “nonpartisan citizenship,” loyalty to constitutional principles, and the common good rather than party tribalism. It’s not an academic theory but a practical framework drawn from his 25 years of building institutions in transitioning democracies worldwide.
Bustos didn’t need to read Sensley’s book to understand this principle, she’s lived it. “It’s not a winner takes it all type of game,” she told a local radio station, explaining her governing philosophy. “We need to get back to the middle, get back to the talking ground, and have serious conversations about what does it looks like for all of us to coexist in this country. Maybe we’re not all gonna get what we want, but at least we’re gonna have peace. We’re going to continue to be a model for democracy.”
This isn’t naïve idealism. Illinois voters, 42 percent of whom identify as moderate, are exhausted by partisan warfare. They’ve watched Congress gridlock on issues from immigration to infrastructure while real problems worsen. They’ve seen trust in institutions erode as politicians focus on scoring points over solving problems.
Bustos’s campaign slogan, “Chasing Our Dreams Together,” reflects this pragmatic optimism. Her platform tackles everyday issues like affordable housing, healthcare costs, and education funding by focusing on common ground rather than demonizing opponents. Regarding immigration, she relies on both professional expertise and personal experience. On economic justice, she highlights what works for working families across urban, suburban, and rural communities.
The Underdog’s Advantage and Challenge
Bustos faces daunting odds in the March 17, 2026, primary. Lieutenant Governor Stratton has Governor JB Pritzker’s political machine behind her. Representative Krishnamoorthi leads with a $21 million war chest. Representative Kelly brings Congressional experience and establishment backing. Bustos lacks such name recognition and resources.
Yet her longshot status may be her greatest asset in a political moment when voters distrust the establishment. She’s not beholden to major donors or party insiders. She’s built her career in the nonprofit and public service sectors, not by climbing the political ladder. Her campaign describes itself as “people-powered” and “people-centered.” This isn’t just rhetoric. It is a practical necessity when you don’t have a billionaire backing.
If elected, Bustos would make history as one of three Black women serving simultaneously in the U.S. Senate. But she’s running on more than symbolic representation. Her international upbringing, multicultural fluency, and experience working across political divides position her to address complex challenges from immigration reform to foreign policy with nuance rather than soundbites.
A Test of What We Value
Whether Bustos wins matters less than what her candidacy reveals about Illinois’s political moment. Are voters genuinely hungry for leaders who work across divides, or are they just saying that in polls? Will substance and track record overcome money and name recognition? Can someone succeed by explicitly rejecting partisan warfare in an era when both parties reward it?
Bustos herself frames her mission: “To find hope where it seems like there isn’t any, to connect with the community and rely on fellow human beings to come together and make life better for one another.” That vision is rooted in service, not status, and echoes what true nonpartisan citizens and other observers say is required for democracy to survive.
Illinois voters don’t merely have to choose their next senator on March 1; they can signal what kind of leadership they believe can heal divisions and restore trust in democratic institutions. In Awisi Quartey Bustos, they have a candidate who’s spent her career building those bridges, one relationship, one coalition, one community at a time.
The question isn’t whether she can win. It’s whether the pragmatic, principled, common good politics she represents can find a foothold in a system that often seems designed to crush it. https://awisiforussenate.us/
Endangered Republic Press is dedicated to advancing thoughtful discourse on American democratic institutions and the principles of nonpartisan citizenship. For more information, visit endangeredrepublicpress.com.
