IL-09 Democratic nominee?
$515.0K
MAR 24, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleCivil rights attorney
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
LocationIllinois
BackgroundCivil rights attorney
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EducationB.S., Computer Engineering, University of Arizona (1988)
Notable personal detailsHoward Rosenblum is a civil rights attorney and disability-rights advocate who ran as a Democrat for the U.S. House in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle. He served as CEO and director of legal services at the National Association of the Deaf and later founded Deaf Equality. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Access Board and was appointed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois Human Rights Commission.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports expanded federal funding for affordable housing, expanded Medicaid and pathways to universal healthcare, stronger funding for education and student loan relief, and protecting Medicaid/Medicare/SNAP — indicating support for moderate expansion of government programs and spending. Policy materials emphasize investing in social programs, clean energy, and making higher education more affordable. No explicit detailed tax-rate proposals or calls for specific tax increases on wealthy or corporations are stated on the campaign site materials found, but the platform priorities align with a le
Healthcare
Supports treating healthcare as a human right, expanding Medicaid and pathways toward universal coverage, investing in mental health and addiction services, and allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.
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Immigration & Border
Supports expanding legal pathways and a fair path to citizenship, ending for-profit detention and expanding community-based alternatives, modernizing immigration courts, and protecting asylum access while opposing cruel enforcement by ICE.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports protecting reproductive autonomy and bodily decisions from government interference and calls for codifying Roe v. Wade to guarantee abortion access. The campaign also explicitly ties reproductive rights to access to contraception and gender-affirming care.
Climate & Energy
Supports investing in clean energy and federal investment to address climate-related priorities as part of his campaign platform. Emphasizes clean energy investment alongside other Democratic priorities such as healthcare and education.
News
Howard Rosenblum is in the news as one of a large field of Democrats competing in the Illinois 9th Congressional District primary to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. The race is crowded and highly competitive, with affordability issues like healthcare and housing costs featuring prominently in candidates’ messaging. The campaign has also drawn attention to outside spending and debates over representation in a district with changing demographics.
Most Democrats in 9th Congressional race cite affordability as top issue
Big money, national issues fuel Illinois 9th district Dem primary
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Factbox-Ten US House Races to Watch in 2026
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements