Meet the Candidates: Their Own Words Ahead of the March 17 Primary

As voters prepare for the March 17 primary election, The Culture, in partnership with the Westside Branch of the NAACP, sent questionnaires to candidates running for key offices that will directly shape life on the West Side and nearby west suburban communities. Those offices included the Cook County Assessor, Cook County Board President, 8th District State Representative, and 7th District Congressperson. No candidates in the board president’s race responded to the questionnaire requests.

The responses published here are presented largely in the candidates’ own words, with only minor edits for clarity, grammar, and length where necessary. The goal was to give readers direct access to how candidates describe themselves, what they say their priorities are, and how they respond to questions about issues affecting local communities.

Not every candidate responded by the deadline, and inclusion here reflects only those campaigns that submitted answers in time for publication. Responses should not be read as endorsements. Rather, they are intended as one tool among many voters can use — alongside forums, public records, interviews, campaign finance reports, and independent reporting — to make informed decisions before casting a ballot.

We encourage readers to compare answers carefully, note what candidates address directly, and also what they leave unsaid.

Cook County Assessor’s Race

• Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi
• Nico Tsatsoulis

8th District State Representative

• Jill Bush
• Shantel Franklin

7th District Congressional Representative

• Anthony Driver
• Jason Friedman
• Rory Hoskins
• Anabel Mendoza
• Reed Showalter