Nikki Budzinski has spent her life organizing for change and fighting for working families.
Born in Peoria, Nikki’s parents taught her the importance of family, community, and service to others. From her grandpa, a union painter, she saw how unions built and sustained the middle class from her grandma, a public-school teacher, she learned the value of a good education. After graduating from the University of Illinois Champaign, Nikki traveled the country fighting to get hard-working people the pay and workplace protections they deserve working with the IAFF's firefighter’s union and the UFCW.
As Governor JB Pritzker's senior advisor on labor issues, Nikki helped pass a $15 minimum wage in Illinois and expand high-speed internet across the state. And as the chief of staff in President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget, she helped implement the American Rescue Plan and set up the Made in America office.
Now, Nikki is running for Congress in Illinois' 13th District, which experts say will be one of the most competitive in the entire country!