Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Chibuihe Asonye, Illinois's 13th Congressional District

The races for the US House of Representatives this election season are very hot! Control of the chamber will come right down to the wire. This season we have profiled two candidates running for the US House, and today we are featuring our third!

Chibuihe Asonye (she/her/hers) is a Gen Z Chicago native and University of Ilinois graduate (2018) who currently works as a resident advisor at the university. Chibu is running as a Green Party candidate in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. Because she fell short of the required 12,000 signatures to appear on the ballot in the November election, Chibu is now running as a write-in candidate. A Nigerian-American and youngest of four, Chibu is passionate about election reform and the wellbeing of her community.

Where are you based?
Champaign, IL – Central Illinois

What is your position/what position are you running for?
I’m running for United States House of Representatives for Illinois District 13. Washington D.C Congress.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
To materially benefit the folks in IL-13, I’m running on election reform, delivering Medicare for all for all ages, student loan forgiveness, and moving money away from the waste military. People in Illinois are overlooked, undervalued, and disengaged in election politics. I’m running as a third party to build up a new pollical party focused on us, the working class and young people of Illinois.

What inspired you to run?
I strive to be an engaged and active member of my community. My community is strapping for cash grants, but there is money for War. I was five years old when 9/11 happened, and I grew up watching the news of the American War in Afghanistan twenty years later. The current federal government leaders are allowing us to fall into war. A war, people my age, my children, will be conscripted to fight. I wanted more voices in the room to be dissenting. I would rather redirect my taxes, move the taxes I may to things that I think about. I selected federal congress to achieve student loan forgiveness and to have young voices say no to endless war.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
Myopically, I want every person living in IL-13 to have their dental and health needs addressed, we have flooding issues in the Metro East and infrastructure improvements need to continue. Holistically: I want Illinois and the rest of the country to feel some relief. Practically, The Covid Relief programs worked and the impact on them expiring is being felt by us all. At the same time, there was fraud and mismanagement of funds. Some funds in Illinois and Mississippi were not even used. Our middle class, the working class of American, can be taken care of and needs to be made the focus of government.

I am passionate about building political power amongst Gen Z and Millennials in Illinois. I started Zennials of Illinois, a group of mid-20-somethings dedicated to expanding our knowledge together, understanding our voting and election options, and then rallying the young en mass. Ultimately, we aim to sustain a third political party that will relentlessly advocate only for the working class.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
One, the unattainable cost of living. The Federally government can directly stop corporate price gouging. Two, reflecting on the Supreme Court ruling on Presidentially immunity, reaffirming the democracy for and by the people, we need election reform. Immediately offer rank choice voting and standardized ballot access requirements across major and minor political parties.

In this cycle, the foremost progressive issues I want to tackle are student loan forgiveness, securing Medicare for all, including dental coverage, election reform, and holding the military and the Pentagon fiscally accountable. I take an anti-war approach to decreasing military funding.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
I am now of the mind that America is not divided, we are being purposefully distracted by superficial differences. Most Americans want Medicare for All, want schools to be funded regardless of property taxes, want to have public libraries. Most Americans don’t want a second Biden or Trump presidency. Yet, because the special interests of a small section of people care more about profit than they do about people, we don’t have these collective wants. I will prioritize the people of Illinois as I make laws. By setting a new footpath as a third party, Americans can unite as we strengthen a political party for and by us.

What is your motto in life?
Be Great! I like to praise myself and commend others.

Where can we find out more about you?
Review my campaign website, follow my progress on my socials (FB, IG, X), and don’t be a stranger!