Election 2026: Brad Schneider, Illinois' 10th Congressional District

ILLINOIS — Voters in Illinois' 10th Congressional District will head to the polls Nov. 3 to choose who will represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, a Democrat from Highland Park, is seeking reelection to the seat he has held since 2017. Schneider also represented the district from 2013 to 2015.

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Ahead of the general election, Patch invited candidates to complete a questionnaire outlining their backgrounds, priorities and positions on issues affecting residents of the district, which includes portions of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. Here are Schneider's responses to Patch's 2026 candidate questionnaire.

Name: Brad Schneider

Town of residence: Highland Park, Illinois

Position sought: U.S. Representative, Illinois' 10th Congressional District

Party affiliation: Democratic

Family: No response provided.

Education: B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Northwestern University, 1983; MBA, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, 1988.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: U.S. Representative for Illinois' 10th Congressional District, 2013–2015 and 2017–present.

Campaign website: https://www.schneiderforcongress.com/

The single most pressing issue facing our district or state is ___________, and this is what I intend to do about it.

As James Carville noted 35 years ago, "it's the economy, stupid." Everywhere I go, I hear from people across the district who are working hard and still struggling to get ahead. Families talk about the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, childcare, and health care. Small business owners face many of those same pressures, along with uncertainty that makes it harder to set prices, hire workers, and plan for the future. Affordability is the most pressing issue in the 10th District because it reaches into every part of daily life.

Congress needs to work on the costs people actually pay. That means reclaiming Congress's tariff authority and ending President Trump's foolish and capricious trade wars. It means working to lower the cost of health care for all Americans. It requires working with our allies to successfully end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

In Congress, I introduced the Keep Healthcare Affordable Act to help working- and middle-class families afford coverage. I support increasing the supply of affordable housing and helping families manage childcare costs. We must also invest in repairing, rebuilding, and in many cases renewing our infrastructure, American manufacturing, and workforce training so businesses can grow and connect more workers with good-paying jobs.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

What distinguishes me is the experience I bring, the priorities I fight for, and my record of following through for the people of the Tenth District. Before Congress, I spent nearly three decades in business. In Congress, I have worked to lower costs, protect Social Security and Medicare, restore reproductive freedom, and reduce gun violence.

When local fire chiefs told me that outdated Medicare payments were making it harder to sustain ambulance services, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to introduce legislation to address the problem. I was proud to help pass the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, which ended provisions that unfairly reduced benefits for millions of public servants, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Here at home, my team has helped constituents recover more than $5 million this year in tax refunds, Social Security payments, and other federal benefits they were owed.

Effective government does not require abandoning our principles. It requires willingness to find common ground where it exists and the courage to stand firm where it does not. I will work across the aisle to solve problems, and I will insist that Congress fulfill its constitutional responsibility to hold the administration accountable. Listening to people and following through is a fundamental part of this job.

If you support tax cuts in Illinois, what spending should be eliminated to offset those cuts? Please be specific.

One of my top priorities is a tax code that treats working families fairly and helps put our country on a sound fiscal path. I support targeted tax policies that help families afford housing, raise children, and save for retirement.

Before asking families and small businesses that already pay their taxes to carry a greater burden, Congress should close the tax gap—estimated to be between $500 billion and $1 trillion—and ensure the IRS collects the taxes owed. We should also reduce federal spending on prescription drugs and scrutinize programs for waste or ineffective spending.

Cutting Medicaid or undermining investments in our workforce and infrastructure may reduce a line item in a budget while increasing costs for families and weakening our economy. We need to consider the long-term effects of what we cut as carefully as we consider the cost of what we fund.

What can be done to alleviate concerns about the demand for electricity, water use and rising electricity costs as more and more data centers are built across Illinois? Do you support restrictions or a moratorium on new data centers?

I hear from many constituents about their concerns when it comes to data centers in their communities and the impact the hyper scale centers may have on the environment and utility costs. I was pleased to help pass in the House the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act to protect against energy cost spikes caused by data centers. I am hopeful this bill will soon pass the Senate and be signed by the President and I'm going to continue to work in Congress to ensure data centers and the companies that run them pay their fair share and do not harm our communities.

We must ensure that data centers do not cause higher water or electricity rates for customers, and that, whenever and wherever centers are built, they benefit both the local and regional communities. Federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) need to establish guardrails to ensure data centers do not harm our water systems, our environment, or pass on higher energy costs to consumers. Congress must ensure that data centers should not get special tax treatment and that environmental stewardship and ratepayer protections that are transparent, enforceable, and hold data center developers accountable for protecting the communities in which they operate.

Do you support regulations on AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both a great opportunity for human advancement and a threat to humanity itself. Congress should work with technical experts, industry, and the public to determine what testing and oversight the most powerful systems necessitate. We can compete with China while taking seriously our responsibility to protect the safety of the American people. The AI challenge is not the first time we have faced such a dichotomy. For example, nuclear fission has the potential to meet our ever-expanding energy needs and the potential to wipe out life as we know it. Like with nuclear power, we need to bring the world together to create the necessary guardrails that will protect both people and the planet. Like with efforts on nuclear nonproliferation, American leadership is critical.

Congress should focus first on the most powerful systems and the risks that could cause the greatest harm. That means asking how developers test those systems before release, what safeguards keep people in control, and how serious problems should be reported and addressed. I have joined colleagues in pressing xAI about the safeguards behind its Grok chatbot; companies developing far more capable systems should face meaningful scrutiny as well.

We should also consistently revisit our rules and regulations as technology changes. At the same time, we should invest in American research, workers, and the infrastructure that will allow the United States to lead. China's ambitions are a reason to take both innovation and security seriously. They are not a reason to dismiss the concerns that AI developers themselves have raised.

The use of automated license plate reader systems like Flock cameras is increasing at police departments across Illinois, creating concerns about privacy, government surveillance and how that data is used or shared. What role, if any, should the government play in regulating the use of license plate readers, and what steps should be taken to protect Illinois residents' privacy and civil liberties?

Law enforcement should have the information it needs to keep our communities safe, but misuse of this technology is dangerous and betrays public trust. Residents should have confidence that their personal information is protected from abuse. We place great trust in our officers, and violations of that trust must carry consequences.

Government should establish clear rules governing what license plate reader data can be collected, how long it can be retained, who can access it, and when it can be shared. Those rules should include safeguards against using the data to track people's lawful activities, independent oversight, and accountability for misuse.

Do you support the current administration's immigration enforcement in the Chicago area and beyond? Why or why not? If not, what changes do you think should be made?

Our immigration system has needed comprehensive reform for years. That means smart border security, modernized immigration laws, the capacity to process cases fairly and efficiently, and a legal pathway for people who want to contribute to our country. We also need a path to citizenship for immigrants who have lived here peacefully for years.

I do not support the Trump Administration's extreme, aggressive deportation campaign. We can enforce our immigration laws humanely and focus on people who pose genuine threats to public safety without abandoning due process or treating entire communities as threats.

Under this Administration, ICE and CBP operations like Midway Blitz in Chicago have instead brought fear to communities and raised grave questions about the use of force and accountability. I have opposed additional funding for these agencies without meaningful reforms, including body cameras, an end to warrantless arrests and enforcement targeting sensitive places, and independent investigations of shootings involving federal agents.

Congress has had opportunities to make progress on comprehensive reform, including bipartisan proposals to invest in border security and improve the asylum system, but political gamesmanship has repeatedly gotten in the way. A durable solution must be tough about securing the border and keeping dangerous criminals off our streets, fair to people seeking protection or a legal future here, and faithful to the Constitution. We need to do the work of passing that legislation instead of lurching from one enforcement crisis to the next.

Do you support President Donald Trump's attempts to impose tariffs on U.S. trade partners? What should be done to offset rising costs for Illinois businesses and consumers?

The Constitution gives Congress authority over taxes and trade, and Congress must reassert that responsibility. Tariffs can be useful when they are targeted at unfair trade practices, protect American workers or critical industries, and form part of a coherent economic strategy. President Trump's indiscriminate and unpredictable approach has instead raised costs for families and businesses while damaging relationships with trading partners.

Canada illustrates the problem. It is Illinois's largest export market, and American businesses depend on cross-border supply chains. After the Administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on Canada under an outdated provision of the Tariff Act of 1930, I introduced the BAD DEAL Act with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Peter Welch to repeal that authority and refund duties collected under it.

Congress must reclaim its role, weigh the costs and benefits of proposed tariffs, and pursue a targeted trade strategy that strengthens American manufacturing, does not alienate our allies, and ensures hardworking families are not stuck paying the price.

What limits, if any, should Congress place on U.S. military action in Iran? Do you believe the president should be required to obtain congressional authorization for military operations against Iran?

Let me first note that the Iranian regime is a threat, not just to its neighbors in the Middle East, but the United States and the world. For more than 47 years, the leaders and supporters of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not only chanted "death to Israel, death to the United States" but sought to develop the capability and capacity to achieve their goal. Iran is the single largest state sponsor of terrorism. They have a sophisticated and advanced military ballistic missile, rocket, and drone program. They have gone to extraordinary lengths to hide their nuclear enrichment and weapons development program. For decades, both Republican and Democratic Administrations have been clear: Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon and the United States must work with our allies to ensure that is the case.

It is also clear that the only way to completely end Iran's nuclear ambitions and permanently close any path Iran has to obtain a nuclear weapon will require a political solution achieved through diplomacy. The military might have a role but cannot achieve our goals on its own. I therefore support economic pressure, coordinated with our allies, and tied to a clear strategy for bringing Iran to the negotiating table.

Since the start of U.S. military action, I have pressed the administration to brief Congress on the imminent threat posed by Iran, the goals of Operation Epic Fury, and the strategy for achieving the goals. I also voted multiple times for war power resolutions to assert Congress's constitutional role in decisions about continued hostilities.

Now eight months into this war, the Administration still has not presented the American people with clear military objectives and strategy for winning the war. Meanwhile, higher gasoline and diesel prices caused by the war are putting added pressure on families and businesses.

What are your ideas for making housing, food, gas and utilities more affordable for your constituents and all Americans?

Everywhere I go, I hear from people across Cook, Lake, and McHenry counties who are working hard and still struggling to get ahead. Families talk about the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, childcare, and health care. Affordability is the most pressing issue in the 10th District because it reaches into every part of daily life.

I have advocated for expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to increase housing supply and make affordable housing possible for more families. I'm also proud to have supported bipartisan legislation to expand opportunities for homeownership. I'll continue working with local leaders to build more housing of all types and ensure federal investments meet the needs of our communities.

At the same time, we cannot claim to be lowering costs while imposing unpredictable tariffs that make materials and everyday goods more expensive. As a member of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, I have worked to reclaim Congress's authority over trade and challenge tariffs that hurt families and businesses without advancing a clear national interest. Higher gasoline and diesel prices caused by the war with Iran are putting added pressure on families and businesses. To grant families relief, we must work with our allies to successfully end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am immensely proud to represent Illinois' 10th Congressional District where, with my wife, Julie, I have lived for more than 35 years, raised our two sons, built my career, and long worked to make our communities stronger.

This year alone, my team has returned more than $5 million to constituents through casework involving delayed tax refunds and Social Security benefits, and I have delivered more than $12 million in federal funding for local projects across the Tenth District.

My top priority remains helping build an economy that gives every American and their family the opportunity not only to make ends meet, but to get ahead. This means creating good-paying jobs, supporting small businesses, strengthening American manufacturing, and protecting Social Security and Medicare.

I am also committed to providing better health care for all Americans—quality, affordable care from providers you know and trust, when and where you need it.

I am focused on restoring reproductive freedom and protecting the right to make personal healthcare decisions. I am also focused on safeguarding all citizens' voting rights, reducing gun violence in our communities, preserving our environment, and ensuring equality for everyone.

At home and in Washington, I work to represent our district's priorities and values and deliver tangible results for our communities. Although our politics are currently deeply divided, progress is still possible when we listen to one another, stay grounded in our values, and work together.

I am running for reelection to continue serving the people of Illinois' 10th District, so we can continue to build a stronger, safer, and more secure future—together.