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Mark Salvi

Republican · U.S. Senate, Illinois

2026 General Election

Mark Salvi is an Illinois Republican and candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Dick Durbin. A businessman and conservative activist, Salvi has built his campaign around reducing federal spending, border security, and opposition to what he calls government overreach. He previously ran unsuccessfully for Illinois attorney general.

Views on the Issues

Sen. Salvi’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. Polis does not editorialize.

Economy & Taxes

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi supports deep cuts to federal spending, lower taxes across income levels, and reducing regulatory burdens on Illinois businesses. He opposes large deficit-spending legislation and argues that reducing the size of government is necessary to curb inflation and restore economic growth for working families.

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.
Healthcare

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi opposes the Affordable Care Act and supports replacing it with market-based reforms that increase competition and consumer choice. He backs expanded health savings accounts, interstate insurance competition, and reducing federal mandates he argues inflate premiums and limit options for Illinois families.

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.
Immigration

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi is a strong advocate for border security and opposes what he views as policies that encourage illegal immigration. He supports completing physical border barriers, ending catch-and-release practices, and strict enforcement of existing immigration law before any discussion of legal status for undocumented residents.

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.
Education

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi supports school choice, expanded education savings accounts, and parental rights to direct their children's education. He opposes federal curriculum mandates and advocates for returning educational decision-making to parents and local communities rather than federal bureaucracies.

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.
Gun Policy

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi is a strong defender of Second Amendment rights and opposes new gun control legislation. He argues that enforcing existing laws more effectively and addressing mental health are the proper responses to gun violence, and opposes red flag laws and restrictions on 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.
Climate & Energy

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi is skeptical of aggressive federal climate regulations and opposes energy mandates he argues raise costs for Illinois families and businesses. He supports domestic energy production across all sources and favors market-driven energy solutions over government-imposed transitions.

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.
Foreign Policy

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi supports a strong U.S. military and robust defense spending as the foundation of American security. He favors an America-first approach that prioritizes domestic needs and scrutinizes the cost and strategic rationale of foreign commitments before extending them.

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.
Social Security

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi opposes tax increases to fund Social Security and supports structural reforms aimed at future beneficiaries to ensure the program's long-term solvency. He opposes benefit cuts for current or near-term retirees and argues that economic growth and spending restraint are the right mechanisms to close the program's funding gap.

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.
Criminal Justice

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.

Mark Salvi

Salvi strongly supports law enforcement and opposes criminal justice reforms he views as lenient toward offenders. He has criticized Illinois's criminal justice changes and supports increased penalties for violent crime and drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl.

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.

About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. Polis does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.