Amy McGrath

Democratic Platform

Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports federal investment in manufacturing and infrastructure as the foundation of Illinois's economy, and backs trade policies that protect American workers from unfair foreign competition. She takes a moderate Democratic approach that emphasizes fiscal responsibility alongside targeted public investment and opposes policies she views as placing excessive burdens on small businesses.

Republican Platform

Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.

Democratic Platform

Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports protecting the Affordable Care Act and its coverage for pre-existing conditions, expanding access to mental healthcare, and lowering prescription drug costs. She has backed Medicare drug price negotiation and supports ensuring veterans and military families have robust access to health services.

Republican Platform

Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports comprehensive immigration reform that pairs meaningful border security improvements with a pathway to legal status for long-term undocumented residents, including DACA recipients. She has called for modernizing the legal immigration system to meet labor market needs.

Republican Platform

Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.

Democratic Platform

Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports federal investment in public K-12 education and affordable higher education, including expanded Pell Grant funding. She supports career and technical education pathways as alternatives to four-year degrees and opposes diverting public school funds to private voucher programs.

Republican Platform

Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports universal background checks and red flag laws while also respecting the Second Amendment rights of responsible gun owners. She has called for keeping firearms out of the hands of those with violent histories while opposing restrictions she views as targeting law-abiding gun owners.

Republican Platform

Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.

Democratic Platform

Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports investment in clean energy technology and manufacturing as an economic opportunity for Illinois and a necessary step toward reducing carbon emissions. She backs an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes clean energy development alongside a pragmatic transition away from the highest-emitting fossil fuels.

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.

Amy McGrath

McGrath, a Marine combat pilot with over 89 combat missions, places a strong U.S. military and robust alliances at the center of her foreign policy worldview. She supports continued backing for Ukraine, strong NATO commitments, and a firm posture toward China and other adversaries.

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.

Democratic Platform

Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.

Amy McGrath

McGrath opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare and supports protecting both programs for current and future retirees. She favors examining long-term structural fixes that do not shift burdens onto current or near-term beneficiaries.

Republican Platform

Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.

Amy McGrath

McGrath supports targeted criminal justice reforms that reduce barriers to reentry and address racial disparities in sentencing, while maintaining strong law enforcement and accountability for violent crime. She has emphasized combating fentanyl trafficking and drug-related crime as public safety priorities.

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.