Jeff Cohen: 2026 candidate for 9th Congressional District
Bio
Office sought: 9th Congressional District
City: Evanston
Age: 61
Occupation: Economist
Previous offices held:
Q&A
What is your top issue and how do you propose to address it?
Fixing the economy. Family economics are not sustainable for many people in the 9th district. I have been working on headline economic issues for 30 years, both with the federal government and against it. And unlike for the other candidates, affordability is not a talking point for me. It is my bread and butter.
I have released an explicit Affordability Agenda. It is described in detail on my website. Most importantly, the bills I want to pass can achieve bipartisan support in all these areas because they are not premised on raising taxes.
So example 1: I want a bill that gives the 40% of Americans who work at small businesses the ability to participate in profit-sharing. This means giving those companies a tax incentive to share productivity gains with their employees, just like big companies do. This directly helps businesses put money in pockets. Think of it as another tool to raise wages.
And example 2: We have to make the mortgage interest deduction available to everyone, even those who file a standard deduction. This is the simplest way to make home-ownership more affordable
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?
Absolutely not. The political and military interference in another sovereign nation, one with a duly-elected president, even if he is corrupt and dangerous, sets a terrible precedent. This action weakened the coherence of our foreign policy and diplomatic legitimacy, which isparticularly worrisome in that it can give cover to similar actions that China or Russia would like to take.
Moreover, bulling NATO is not going to achieve additional leverage for the U.S.
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?
Of course not. I want to see explicit Congressional oversight on tariffs. I want Congress to use the power of the purse to withhold funding from inappropriate policies. I want to restore the primacy of diplomacy conducted by the State Department. None of this is easy to achieve without Democrats winning back the House. Absent that, members of Congress need bring legal action (hopefully coupled with private civil litigation) to bring maximum pressure to bear. Economic damages are a useful tool to turn up the heat, since those monetary consequences are something the current President seems to understand.
What should U.S. border policy be? If elected, what would you do to make it happen?
The single most important power Congress has is to starve ICE, CPB and the DHS of their funding. Yes, Congress has oversight authority, the power to conduct hearings, subpoena the Homeland Security Secretary, and install additional Inspector Generals into every aspect of their operations. But I fear that abuses of authority will not likely cease from legal and political pressure alone. However, without compensation and budgets to conduct operations, and facing significant legal fees, these agencies will struggle.
Do I believe that we still need some form of immigration enforcement and border patrol? Of course. But the pendulum has swung so far in the direction of rampant wild abuse, that I worry far less about shutting these agencies down and then rebuilding, than I do the potential increased danger.
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?
I do not believe we should throw out the Affordable Care Act. It has problems, no doubt. But it also is why pregnancy is no longer considered a pre-existing condition. It is why the uninsured in America now stands at 7.7 percent…it was double that before!
It is why more than 20 million Americans signed up in 2025. The ACA provides consumer protections, out of pocket limits, a way for small businesses to cover their employees, and it requires preventive care in most circumstances without costs.
Day-one priority is to preserve the “subsidies” and to call them what they really are: an economic reality that is not partisan. Five mostly Republican states accounted for the majority of new enrollment last year. That data is what needs to be brought to bear in the public debate, and it will be front and center in my debate with folks across the aisle.
On days two, three, and four, I would propose a tax-advantaged medical safe harbor for seniors; tuition reimbursement for healthcare professionals; enhanced hospital merger scrutiny; and a revamp of the FDA to approve drugs faster.
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?
I want a two-state solution in the Middle East, and I know it is critical to work with all the nations in the region to make that happen. There are strong incentives for every country to ensure that peace holds and that a credible government can lead an independent Palestinian state.
Moreover, I don’t see how lasting peace happens without the U.S.; instability caused by a potential democratic power vacuum in the region would be dangerous. At the same time, American foreign policy has not always understood regional politics, so we must be involved, but as partners.
Israel’s present government is enabled by right-wing extremists. I have enormous problems with who is in power. But, Israel is also the strongest democratic state in the region. They are our military allies against state-sponsored terrorism and terrorist organizations who do not believe Israel has a right to exist. We cannot be naïve to underestimate the importance of our alliance, as much as we might vehemently disagree with the current government.