Candidate · November 3, 2026
La Shawn K. Ford
On the ballot for U.S. House · Illinois's 7th District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $819K
- cash on hand
- $93K
- issues with public statements
- 26
- outside spending for or against
- $2.5M
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · Illinois's 7th District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic1 |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
His campaign website says La Shawn K. Ford earned a degree in education, with a minor in political science, at Loyola University.2 It says he taught and coached in the Chicago Public Schools and later opened his own real estate business.2 It says he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2006 and has represented a district covering communities on Chicago's West Side and in the near west suburbs.2
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running because full-time work no longer covers the basic cost of living for many families in the 7th District.3 It also says he is running because he believes government must protect women, respect their choices and deliver real results.4
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitefordforcongress.com5,
6 - Facebookfacebook.com/fordforcongress6
- X (Twitter)x.com/ford4congress6
- Instagraminstagram.com/fordforthe7th6
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@LaShawnK.FordForCongress6
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Health Care
His campaign website says he will fight to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies so families do not face higher monthly costs, and will push to make affordability stable rather than temporary.7
His campaign website says he will oppose Medicaid cuts, funding caps and work requirements that push eligible people out of care.7
His campaign website says he will oppose Medicaid cuts, funding caps and work requirements that push eligible people out of care, and will fight for continuous coverage and automatic renewals.7
His campaign website lists full protection of Medicaid expansion among the things he will fight for.7
Social Security and Medicare
His campaign website says he will defend traditional Medicare, oppose efforts to make Medicare Advantage the default system, push for stronger oversight of Medicare Advantage plans and fight excessive overpayments to private insurers.7
- Expand Medicare Advantage and encourage more private plan options
- Keep current rules
- Tighten rules on what these plans are paid and when they can require approval for care
His campaign website says he will protect and strengthen Social Security against cuts or privatization.4
Economy, Jobs and Trade
His campaign website says he will support and sponsor legislation that raises federal wage standards beyond outdated levels, and will fight to end subminimum wages for tipped workers and workers with disabilities.3
His campaign website says he will protect the right to organize without retaliation and close loopholes that allow worker misclassification.3
State Government
His campaign website says that as a state legislator he fought for and voted to pass Illinois's minimum wage increase into law.3
Family and Social Policy
His campaign website says he will expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and strengthen the Child Tax Credit for working families.3
His campaign website says he will expand paid family and medical leave.4
Elections and Government Reform
His campaign website says he will fight for a permanent ban on Schedule F-style classifications and work to strengthen protections for whistleblowers, inspectors general and federal scientists.9
Immigration
His campaign website says he will work to uphold asylum protections.9
His campaign website says he will work to limit ICE overreach and invest in community-based alternatives to detention.9
Abortion and Reproductive Health
His campaign website says he will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and its platform for women says he will codify the right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and contraception.4,
- Legal only to save the pregnant woman's life
- Legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to save the woman's life
- Legal early in pregnancy only, up to a limit such as 6, 12 or 15 weeks
- Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health
- Legal at every stage, with no limit based on weeks of pregnancy
His campaign website says he will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and its platform for women says he will codify the right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and contraception.4,
- A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
- Leave abortion law to each state
- A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties
His campaign website says he will work to advance the Equality Act and restore nondiscrimination protections.9
- Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
- Add protections with broad exemptions for religious groups and businesses
- No new federal protections; leave it to the states
His campaign website says he will fight to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and support national standards that make voting accessible and secure.9
- Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
- Keep current law, as the Supreme Court read it in 2026, without the federal approval requirement
- Stop applying the law to how district maps are drawn
Education
His campaign website says he will push back against voucher programs that, it says, drain classrooms.9
- Make them available to every family
- Offer them only to some students, such as those from low-income families or with disabilities
- No public money for private school or homeschooling costs
Technology, Privacy and AI
His campaign website says he will work to advance digital privacy protections.9
Housing
His campaign website says his housing plan would support zoning reforms that allow modest density increases when paired with affordability requirements and tenant protections.10
His campaign website says his housing plan would expand federal down payment and gap assistance for first-time homebuyers, prioritizing historically underserved and high-cost communities.10
His campaign website says his housing plan would expand permanent supportive housing for people cycling through shelters, hospitals and incarceration.10
His campaign website says his housing plan rejects policies that favor large investors over local residents and would increase transparency and accountability for large corporate investors and landlords receiving federal assistance.10
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.11
| Raised | $819,321 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $725,849 |
| Cash on hand | $93,472 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $175,000 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $0 supporting and $2,475,786 opposing La Shawn K. Ford this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through March 14, 2026.12
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| Fairshake | — | $2,475,786 |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report13filed Oct 25, 2025