Lisa Arvanites – Activist | Precinct Committeeperson Bringing Democracy to Your Door

On October 21, 2025, I attended the Citizen Action Illinois forum for the Congressional District 9 primary candidates at Oakton Community College. I always attend forums. This one was of special interest due to the unusually large field of more than 18 candidates. The sheer size of the field reflects a district hungry for leadership and meaningful change.

August 25, 2025 marked the first day that candidates were legally permitted to begin circulating petitions. The official filing period ran from October 27, 2025 through November 3, 2025. With petition circulation still underway and the filing deadline approaching, the forum came at a decisive moment in the race. Candidates were still actively working to earn ballot access, and voters willingness to sign petitions reflected a demand for substance, accountability, and leadership that meets the moment.

At the beginning of the forum, Citizens Action Illinois Executive Director Anusra Thotakura stated that campaigns were required to meet one of two participation thresholds: raising $4,000 or securing donations from 50 individual donors, with no minimum contribution.

Rather than functioning as a legitimate standard, the threshold serves as an exclusionary gatekeeping mechanism—one that risks privileging candidates with early access to donor networks while marginalizing grassroots or first-time campaigns. It undermines the forum’s stated purpose of fostering inclusive and democratic participation.

After the forum, I asked candidates the questions I had prepared. I also invited the candidates I spoke with to attend McHenry County Democratic Party meetings.

A few weeks later, as I began to research the US Senate candidates  I learned that U.S. Senate candidate Jump Shepherd was denied participation in the Citizen Action Illinois Senate Candidate Forum held on October 6 at Chicago State University. From what I understand he was onsite. This forum took place two weeks earlier than the Citizen Action event held at Oakton Community College. I gained access to the letter Citizens Action Illinois sent out to all thus Senate candidates.  

After reading this letter I wanted answers. I was thinking about voters in my community. They deserve to know who all the candidates are. Again, rather than functioning as a legitimate standard, the threshold serves as an exclusionary gatekeeping mechanism—one that risks privileging candidates with early access to donor networks while marginalizing grassroots or first-time campaigns. It undermines the forum’s stated purpose of fostering inclusive and democratic participation.

I called and emailed on January 7, 2026 and then again January 11, 2026 .

On January 24, 2025 the League of Women Voters of McHenry County held a candidate meet and greet for Congressional D9 candidates. There were not any arbitrary thresholds for candidates to consider. LWV is passionate about voter education and invited every candidate who had certified filing.

On January 27, 2026, after the LWV event, I called Citizens Action Illinois, again, in my continued effort to gain a clear understanding of the process they use regarding candidate participation. A woman answered the phone but did not initially state her name.

I introduced myself and th e political roles I hold. I explained that I was seeking clarity on the process they used, noting that I had heard of other forums that place hurdles in front of candidates and that I was analyzing those practices.

The woman explained that the organization had implemented candidate viability thresholds and stated that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) allows such thresholds. I asked whether the FEC requires them, and she acknowledged that it does not.

I then asked for her name. After she provided it, I asked her to spell it, as I was unfamiliar with it. Instead of spelling her name, she referred me to the organization’s website.

When I raised the issue that the number of participants could have justified holding two events, she said the organization had considered that option but ultimately chose to implement thresholds instead. I told her that I believed this decision was unfair. As a result, one candidate was excluded.

The call ended abruptly when she stated she had another incoming call. Though it was clear I had a bit more on my mind, she did not ask whether she could return my call at a later time.

After the call, I searched for the organization online and learned that I had been speaking with Citizens Action Illinois Executive Director Anusra Thotakura.

Now Citizens Action Illinois is engaging in endorsements. I wonder who else did not qualify for their forums.

The nine Democratic candidates for Senate convened Monday night ahead of the March primary. Marisa Guerra Echeverria and Allison Kuester October 7, 2025

When you consider Citizen Action Illinois Policy Council of Organizational Affiliates and Individual Members , the decision to impose candidate viability thresholds—rather than serve voters and accommodate a broad field of candidates—is deeply troubling. This approach prioritizes pruning candidates over expanding democratic participation. That choice is especially concerning given that the Citizens United Policy Council is composed of unions, nonprofits, and current and former elected officials, groups that should be committed to inclusion rather than gatekeeping. https://citizenaction-il.org/policy-council

There are long-standing programs where U.S. law-enforcement officers (from various agencies, including sometimes ICE personnel) participate in exchange or training events with Israeli security forces to share tactics on counterterrorism, border policing, and related topics. These are typically voluntary exchanges organized by third parties and are not formal, standard, or mandatory parts of ICE’s official training pipeline.

The IDF has trained our US military and AIPAC is proud of it!

In August 10, 2020 Allan C. Brownfield  of the American Council for Judaism reveals that police officers are also trained by IDF.

So what about ICE? Is there a conflict of interest here?

Jared Goldman – $ friend of AIPAC
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez – $ friend of AIPAC
Henry Cuellar – $ friend of AIPAC
Vincent Gonzalez – $ friend of AIPAC
Laura Gillen – $ friend of AIPAC
Don Davis – $ friend of AIPAC
Tom Suozzi – $ friend DFMI (ally of AIPAC)

These are not the ONLY members of our government who take AIPAC and or DFMI etc… money. Find more of them here, here, here and that is just the start!

Regarding the Bills
Here is where you can read, listen and watch to get detail information about the bills which is almost never referenced by the media

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7147

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7148

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.