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Illinois

Created by the Illinois Stance on Science team. Please contact illinoisstanceonscience@gmail.com with any questions. Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky.

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Illinois will face many challenges in the coming years, and it is increasingly critical that our policymakers understand the importance of evidence-based decision-making. The goals of this resource are to:

  1. Provide voters with clear, accessible information so they can see how candidates value science in decision-making.
  2. Hold candidates accountable by sharing their responses publicly on our website and via local media.
  3. Encourage thoughtful engagement between communities and policymakers on science policy-related topics in our state.

Through Stance on Science, we hope to help Illinoisans understand how their elected representatives will utilize science to improve the state that they love. Learn more about this initiative on the home page.

How to use this resource

This webpage houses the responses to 5 questions crafted by the Illinois Stance on Science team.

Only official candidates who will appear on ballots were contacted.

Candidates were contacted in September 2026 (with a follow-up to those who did not initially respond) and given the opportunity to answer all questions. Only the responses of candidates who answered the questions are included. None of the candidates' responses were modified in any way before being published on this resource page.

For the Nov 3 midterms, only candidates in the following elections were contacted:

US Senate
US House of Representatives
IL Senate
IL House of Representatives
The questions posed
  1. Illinois currently has 138 data centers, with 8 underway, and plans for 29 more. What policies, if any, do you support in managing existing data centers or establishing additional data centers? What specific plans do you have, if any, to mitigate utility cost burden for residents? Why these steps? (modified from previous questions) (see "Energy")
  2. Research activities in Illinois heavily depend on federal funding. However, federal funding cuts for science research and agencies like the NIH and NSF leaves the future for science research uncertain. What policies, if any, do you support or plan to implement to fund scientific research at either the state or federal level? (see "Science Funding")
  3. Agriculture is an important part of Illinois’ economy. However, changing weather patterns pose a challenge for Illinois agriculture. What policies or plans do you have, or support, to support Illinois agriculture against challenges like Illinois agriculture? (see "Climate")
  4. Scientific issues increasingly influence public policy. When developing policy positions or making decisions on topics involving science, how do you seek out information, evaluate scientific evidence and expert input, and ensure your decisions are well informed? If you can, please share an example of when this process influenced your perspective or decision. (see "Trust in Science")
  5. Measles and whooping cough (pertussis) cases are on the rise in Illinois, with multiple outbreaks in 2026. How have you, or how do you plan to, address this public health concern? How will you plan to work with relevant stakeholders (epidemiologists, scientists, physicians, for example) to mitigate this problem? (see "Public Health")

Disclaimer

The responses of candidates shared on this webpage do not reflect the views of the Illinois Stance on Science team or the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP) Coalition. SNAP is a non-partisan organization (please see more about SNAP here). SNAP and the Illinois Stance on Science team do not endorse any candidates. The goals of this initiative can be found here. Please contact illinoisstanceonscience@gmail.com with any questions.

To find your districts for state and federal races and see who is on your ballot, please visit the Ballot information on Vote.org.

November 2026 General Elections

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