Courtesy of Forward Illinois

A historic coalition of progressive organizations formed earlier this fall, including Sierra Club Illinois, SEIU, Planned Parenthood Illinois, Equality Illinois, Illinois Coalition Against Handgun Violence, Local 881 UFCW, and more are claiming support for their bold, progressive agenda led candidates up and down the ballot, incumbents and first-time candidates to win their races based on bold, progressive ideas for Illinois. Coalition members deployed hundreds of volunteers who worked thousands of hours, contacting more than half a million Illinoisans about the urgency of enacting a bold agenda to move Illinois forward. This included advocating for a $15 minimum wage, reproductive rights, a 100 percent clean energy future, and protections for immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and a fairer tax. A poll commissioned by Forward Illinois released earlier this fall showed that more than two-thirds of Illinoisans strongly favor a bold agenda that includes:

• A $15/hour minimum and a guaranteed right to join or form a union free from employer interference.

• Environmental justice, with clean water for all and Illinois moving to 100% clean, renewable energy.

• Criminal justice reform that establishes humane conditions and is built with a restorative justice framework to find alternatives to prison and jail.

• Universal access to high- quality affordable health care, provided by moving toward Medicare for All.

• Ensure transgender children can access facilities and programming in schools that meet their needs, ensure their safety, and allow them to participate fully, fairly, and equally in school life.