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Nikki Budzinski

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Nikki Budzinski
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byRodney Davis (redistricted)
Personal details
BornNicole Jai Budzinski
(1977-03-11) March 11, 1977 (age 49)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA)
Signature
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Nicole Jai Budzinski (/bədˈzɪnski/ bəd-ZIN-skee; pol. /bud͡ʑiɲski/) (born March 11, 1977)[1][2] is an American trade unionist and politician. She has served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district since 2023, and is a member of the Democratic Party.[3]

Budzinski worked for most of her career for trade unions. Just before being elected, Budzinski served as chief of staff to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Biden administration beginning in 2021.[4][5]

Early life and education

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Budzinski was born in Peoria, Illinois.[6] Her paternal grandparents were both union members: Leonard Budzinski, her grandfather, as a painter employed by the Peoria School District, and her grandmother as a teacher in the same district.[7]

Budzinski graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign[8][9] and interned for U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt, U.S. Senator Paul Simon, and Planned Parenthood.[10][11]

Early career

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Budzinski started her career at the Laborers' International Union of North America and the International Association of Fire Fighters before spending seven years with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) unions.[12] She worked for the UFCW as national political director in Washington, D.C.[13]

During the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, Budzinski led J. B. Pritzker's exploratory committee and was later a senior advisor to his campaign, focusing on political strategy, messaging and outreach. After Pritzker won, she was named transition director.[14]

When Pritzker became governor on January 14, 2019, Budzinski was appointed senior advisor.[15][16] She simultaneously chaired the Broadband Advisory Council (BAC), a state agency "charged with ... expand[ing] broadband access, adoption, and utilization" in Illinois. Budzinski resigned as senior advisor to the governor in March 2020.[17] She worked with John Podesta to advise the National Climate Jobs Resource Center and was Executive Director for Climate Jobs Illinois.[4]

In February 2021, Budzinski, recommended for the post by Podesta, was appointed chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[4] During her tenure as chief of staff, she helped set up the OMB's Made in America division. On July 16, 2021, Budzinski resigned to return to Illinois, saying she "felt it was a good time to come back [to Illinois] ... after getting things off the ground here".[5]

U.S. House of Representatives

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First portrait
Second portrait
Third portrait
Budzinski's official House portraits over the years.

Elections

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Budzinski (second from left) with U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (third from left) in June 2022.

2022

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On August 24, 2021, Budzinski announced her bid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois's 13th congressional district. The district had been significantly redrawn to favor Democrats; it now included the core of the Metro East.[18][19] She won the primary in June 2022 against David Palmer[20] and the general election in November against the Republican nominee, Regan Deering.[21]

2024

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Budzinski was reelected in 2024, defeating Republican Joshua Loyd with 58.1% of the vote to Loyd's 41.9%.[22] She ran ahead of the top of the Democratic ticket in the district.[23]

2026

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In the March 2026 Democratic primary, Budzinski defeated progressive challenger Dylan Blaha who tried to run to her left.[24][25] She received 75.1% of the vote in the primary.[26] Election forecasters have rated the race as a safe Democratic seat.[27][28]

Tenure

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Budzinski with former Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture Robert Flider in 2023

Budzinski is the Vice Chair for Policy for the moderate New Democrat Coalition.[29] She helped roll out the coalition's "Affordability Agenda," a policy package aimed at the rising cost of health care, housing, energy, and groceries.[30] Budzinski serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Veterans' Affairs, where she is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.[31] In that role, she has conducted oversight on the Department of Veterans Affairs' electronic health record modernization program and its contractor, Oracle, holding her first subcommittee hearing on the effort in February 2025.[32]

Committee assignments

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For the 119th Congress:[31][33]

Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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A member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, Budzinski has been described as a centrist.[38][39]

Abortion

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Budzinski supports abortion rights. During her 2022 campaign she backed codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law and repealing the Hyde Amendment.[40] She was an intern at Planned Parenthood and was endorsed by the organization's political arm.[41][42]

Agriculture

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As a member of the House Agriculture Committee representing a district with a significant farmland presence, Budzinski has called for a stronger crop insurance program and farm safety net.[43] She has also opposed cuts to nutrition programs like SNAP in farm bill negotiations.[43] She reintroduced bipartisan legislation to permit year-round nationwide sales of E15 gasoline, which includes ethanol in its mixture.[44][45]

Health care

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Budzinski is against Medicare for All and opposes a single-payer healthcare system.[46] She has expressed her concerns about a single-payer system by saying that she fears a government-run program could be "held hostage to the political whims of any one White House."[46] She also believes that "more competition in the healthcare system actually makes for a better healthcare system" and "will also bring down costs."[46] She co-sponsored the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, introduced in December 2025, which would bar large pharmacy benefit managers from inflating drug prices and sterering patients to affiliated pharmacies.[47][48] During the 2025 government shutdown, she called renewing the Affordable Care Act's marketplace tax credits "a red line" and opposed Republican cuts to Medicaid.[49]

Immigration

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In January 2025, Budzinski was one of 48 Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act, which mandated the detention, without bond, of undocumented immigrants who are accused of crimes.[50][51] On the question of whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be reformed or abolished, in August 2026 she said "The training — there is no training for these officers", and believes there should be "system-wide reform" of the agency, "but it doesn’t change, whatever you want to call it, we need immigration enforcement in this country."[46]

Israel and Palestine

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In 2023 Budzinski co-sponsored a resolution to reaffirm U.S. support for Israel following the October 7 attacks. She has voted in favor of military aid to Israel throughout the Gaza war, and although she has expressed concern about humanitarian conditions in Gaza and supported ceasefire efforts, she has vocally supported Israel's "right to self defense", saying "I do believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, and I do support that. They are the only democracy within the Middle East".[52][53][54] She has received criticism for accepting money from the Israel lobby, including AIPAC.[54] In July 2026, Budzinski was one of 98 Democrats who voted against an amendment introduced by Thomas Massie which would have eliminated $3.3 billion in aid to Israel.[55]

Labor

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Budzinski is a supporter of organized labor and a former national political director for the UFCW.[56] Budzinski received endorsements from "an array of labor unions" during her first campaign for Congress because of her background, and was the keynote speaker at an AFL-CIO Workers Memorial Day ceremony in Decatur in 2022.[57][58] In 2025, she intervened in a HUD housing project in her district after being alerted to safety issues by the local SEIU chapter's membership.[59]

She is an original cosponsor of the PRO Act and of the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which sets deadlines for negotiating first union contracts and passed the House in June 2026.[60][61] She also reintroduced the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would guarantee collective-bargaining rights for first responders.[62]

Electoral history

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2022 Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nikki Budzinski 31,593 75.6
Democratic David Palmer 10,216 24.4
Total votes 41,809 100.0
2022 Illinois's 13th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nikki Budzinski 141,788 56.6
Republican Regan Deering 108,646 43.4
Write-in 16 0.0
Total votes 250,450 100.0
Democratic win (new seat)
2024 Illinois's 13th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nikki Budzinski (incumbent) 191,339 58.1
Republican Joshua Loyd 137,917 41.9
Green Chibuihe Asonye (write-in) 244 0.1
Total votes 329,500 100.0
Democratic hold
2026 Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nikki Budzinski 44,763 75.09
Democratic Dylan Blaha 14,850 24.91
Total votes 59,613 100.0

References

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  1. ↑ "Illinois New Members 2023". November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Illinois, 13th)". December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Budzinski and Deering head to November". WAND. June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Kapos, Shia (January 25, 2021). "Teacher Tension Deja Vu — Preckwinkle Fundraising — More Moves to Biden's Team". Politico.
  5. 1 2 Kapos, Shia (July 19, 2021). "Budzinski Leaving D.C. — Racism in High Places — 'Total' Police Burnout". Politico.
  6. ↑ Enterprises, Brenden Moore Lee (November 2, 2022). "Budzinski, Deering face off in Illinois' 13th Congressional District". STLToday. Retrieved June 20, 2024. Budzinski, a Peoria-born political consultant
  7. ↑ Alpert, Lynn (November 8, 2021). "Nikki Budzinski looks to oust Rep. Rodney Davis, has growing union endorsements". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Democrat Nikki Budzinski wins Illinois 14th Congressional District race". STLPR. November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Nikki Budzinski, Democratic candidate for 13th Congressional District in Illinois". Belleville News-Democrat. May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ↑ Wang, Jackie (March 27, 2024). "'Really formative': Rep. Nikki Budzinski on being an intern". Roll Call. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ↑ Narag, Ella; Sadovi, Aidan (April 19, 2023). "Nikki Budzinski discusses first 100 days in conversation with The DI". The Daily Illini. Retrieved June 20, 2024. Budzinski, a former Planned Parenthood intern
  12. ↑ "Budzinski Speaks at NABTU Legislative Conference, Helps Launch Bipartisan Building Trades Caucus" (Press release). April 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Meet Nikki". Nikki for Congress. Retrieved March 9, 2022. [failed verification]
  14. ↑ Kapos, Shia; Hurst, Adrienne (November 8, 2018). "Pritzker taps big names for transition — Madigan strikes back at Rauner". Politico. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Illinois Governor's Staff & Transition Team". ilcapitolgroup.com.
  16. ↑ "Broadband Advisory Council 2020 Legislative Report December 16, 2019" (PDF). State of Illinois.
  17. ↑ "Pritzker insider Nikki Budzinski cashing in as a consultant since leaving state government". Chicago Sun-Times. October 21, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ Kapos, Shia (August 25, 2021). "It's Budzinski V. Davis, or Is It? — Pritzker's Power Play — Alexander County's Dubious Ranking". Politico. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  19. ↑ Alpert, Lynn (December 27, 2021). "Illinois AFL-CIO endorses Nikki Budzinski for Congress". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Illinois 13th Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 28, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Illinois 13th Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Illinois 13th Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 5, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  24. ↑ Lyons, Ivy (March 19, 2026). "Big primary wins put Budzinski, Wilson on November ballot". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. pp. A1. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  25. ↑ Koch, Jason (March 14, 2026). "Seven questions with 13th District candidate Dylan Blaha". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. pp. A1. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Illinois 13th Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. March 17, 2026. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  27. ↑ "2026 CPR House Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  28. ↑ "House". Inside Elections. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Leadership: New Democrat Coalition". New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Budzinski Unveils Affordability Agenda to Address the Cost of Living Crisis". Collinsville Daily News. February 11, 2026. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  31. 1 2 "Nikki Budzinski (Illinois (IL)), 119th Congress Profile". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  32. ↑ Graham, Edward (December 23, 2025). "VA readies to restart EHR deployments in 2026, despite lingering lawmaker unease". Nextgov. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  33. ↑ "List of Standing Committees and Select Committees of the House of Representatives" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Caucus Members". Black Maternal Health Caucus. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Membership". Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  36. ↑ "About the CEC". CEC. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Future Forum Members". House of Representatives. June 16, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  38. ↑ Eberwein, Richard (March 18, 2026). "Nikki Budzinski holds off progressive challenger Dylan Blaha in Illinois' 13th District primary". Heartland Signal. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  39. ↑ Lehmann, Chris (June 5, 2025). "The Democrats' Class Trip to Nowhere". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  40. ↑ Reid, Tony (September 9, 2022). "Budzinski warns of federal abortion ban". Herald and Review. pp. A4. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  41. ↑ Chassy, Trent (September 20, 2022). "A Conversation with Nikki Budzinski". The Prospectus. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  42. ↑ "As 2022 Midterm Races Heat Up, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Announces Latest Endorsements of Nine House Candidates". Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  43. 1 2 Moore, Brenden (October 25, 2024). "Budzinski touts wins, offers Farm Bill update at Decatur Chamber Ag Cafe event". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  44. ↑ Eggert, Timothy (March 3, 2023). "To Budzinski, ag is way to 'find some common ground'". FarmWeekNow. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  45. ↑ Ellis, Stu (September 26, 2024). "From the Farm: Bipartisan collaboration on ag law". WCIA.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  46. 1 2 3 4 Mackey, Brian (August 27, 2026). "Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski discusses her record, makes case for third term". IPM News. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Budzinski introduces legislation to crack down on predatory drug pricing". Illinois Business Journal. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  48. ↑ Hollerman, Joe (February 18, 2025). "US Rep. Nikki Budzinski pushing three health-related measures in House". STLtoday.com. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  49. ↑ Moore, Brenden (October 10, 2025). "Budzinski urges bipartisan deal to end shutdown, but draws 'red line' on health care". Capitol News Illinois. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  50. ↑ Rashid, Hafiz (January 22, 2025). "The 46 Democrats Who Voted for Republicans' Racist Immigration Bill". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  51. ↑ Eberwein, Richard (March 18, 2026). "Nikki Budzinski holds off progressive challenger Dylan Blaha in Illinois' 13th District primary". Heartland Signal. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Rep. Nikki Budzinski discusses National Guard, Gaza, SNAP cuts on The 21st Show - IPM Newsroom". August 28, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  53. ↑ Palermo, Gregg (November 20, 2023). "Budzinski encouraged by reports of U.S. brokered hostage release". Spectrum News. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  54. 1 2 Kacich, Tom (July 28, 2024). "Unions, pro-Israel groups among Budzinski's biggest backers". The News-Gazette. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  55. ↑ Taheri, Mandy (July 15, 2026). "List of Democrats voting against cut to Israel aid as base turns on ally". Newsweek. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  56. ↑ Rowden, Tim (April 14, 2025). "'We are under attack' – Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski addresses Madison County Federation of Labor". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Budzinski racks up endorsements". The Journal Gazette. September 16, 2021. pp. A3. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  58. ↑ Moore, Brenden (April 30, 2022). "'In Our Hearts'". Herald and Review. pp. A3. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  59. ↑ Dougherty, Maggie (November 28, 2025). "Bundzinski intervenes in local housing dispute on behalf of low-income residents". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. pp. A7. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  60. ↑ Donald, Elizabeth (March 27, 2023). "Budzinski introduces LEAP Act to expand apprenticeships". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  61. ↑ Lynn (June 18, 2026). "Budzinski-sponsored Faster Labor Contracts Act passes the House". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  62. ↑ Donald, Elizabeth (March 10, 2025). "Budzinski re-introduces legislation to protect the rights of first responders". The Labor Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
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