Jonathon Dean: 2026 candidate for U.S. Senate

Bio

Office sought: U.S. Senate

City: Chicago

Age: 44

Occupation: Attorney and Solar Energy Entrepreneur

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

What is your top issue and how do you propose to address it?

Life in America is unaffordable because our government has maintained an economic structure that benefits the wealth and corporations over the remaining 99% of us. For 40 years, we have lived under a policy of “trickle down” economics on the promise that if we redistribute more money to the wealthy, then it would magically trickle back to the rest of us. That has not happened and is a broken promise. We need to reinstitute fair marginal tax rates and increase taxes on wealthy businesses and corporations.

But we also need to provide people with short-term relief in the form of first time homebuyer assistance, ability to pay for necessities (groceries, student loans, childcare) on a pretax basis.

Do you support the unilateral foreign policy course President Trump has taken with such actions as the bombing of Iran, assaults on Venezuelan ships and the seizure of the Venezuelan president?

No. The president should follow the War Powers Act, and Congress must reassert its role in checking and shutting down the president's use of force when it violates the War Powers Act.

The executive branch has expanded its powers in recent years on foreign policy, economic tariffs, executive orders and more. Are you satisfied with the direction these activities are moving? If so, why? If not, what needs to be done differently?

No. Congress needs to reassert its role as a check on the president, which means giving individual members of Congress expanded power to introduce and push legislation that checks the executive branch. Both houses of Congress have become too centralized and reliant on the majority leader / speaker to control the floor. Both houses need to loosen their rules to empower individual members.

What should U.S. border policy be? If elected, what would you do to make it happen?

We should have a strong border. And border patrol should stay at and enforce this strong border.

Bottom line: We need to pass comprehensive reform to our immigration system, which increases funds for border patrol agents, limits their jurisdiction to the border, and reforms the immigration system like Congress has tried to do, and Republicans in Congress have torpedoed, in 2005, 2013, and 2024, which includes a pathway to citizenship for working families, deportations for violent criminals, and a strong and protected border.

What should be the government’s role in assuring health care for Americans? What should be done regarding the ACA to better perform this function?

We should pass Medicare for All. The skyrocketing cost is a significant burden on economic growth and on family's pocketbooks. Most workers experience some form of job-lock due to needing to stay in a job that does not match their skill, experience, or ambition in order to pay for health care. Families that must pay for health care premiums out of pocket on the exchanges just experienced significant increases in premiums that many simply chose not to pay, which decreases the risk pool and raises costs of the rest of us.

This is not sustainable. Every other developed country has a single-payer system for exactly these reasons and because private industry will always be incentivized to deny care.

Short of Medicare for All, a public insurance option would significantly constrain the skyrocketing costs of health care.

What is your vision for a solution to conflicts involving Israel and the Palestinians? What should the United States be doing to advance this position?

Israelis and Palestinians must be guaranteed equal rights under the law. The most effective way to do this is via multilateral treaty negotiated and signed by US, major European Powers, Israel, and middle east powers. It may or may not involve recognizing Palestinian statehood, though that would be preferable, but what is most important is that Palestinians be granted equal rights under law to Israelis. As part of this peace process, I also agree that Hamas must be permanently disarmed and not allowed to return to political power.

I do not support continued funding of Israel. I follow the legal experts at the United Nations who have engaged in extensive fact finding and analysis to determine that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition of genocide in Gaza. US must accordingly cease funding to Israel so that a restorative justice process between the Israelis and Palestinians can take place. I am one of many Americans who have been outraged at how Israel has used my US tax dollars during their war in Gaza.

Removing funding from Israel will bring it to the bargaining table to negotiate a just and lasting peace for the region.