Justin Cochran: 2026 candidate for Illinois House District 55

Bio

Office sought: State Representative

Party: Democrat

City: Des Plaines

Age: 39

Previous offices held: Illinois State Representative (2025-Present)

Q&A

What do you consider the three most pressing issues facing the state in the next four years, and how should they be addressed?

The budgetary chaos from Washington, rising consumer costs, and finding the right balance between regulating AI and remaining competitive. The federal government is pulling back support that families, hospitals, and schools rely on, and shifting costs for programs like Medicaid and SNAP onto the states. When Washington walks away, the need doesn’t disappear. It lands on our hospitals, our food pantries, and our taxpayers. Illinois can’t replace every federal dollar, but we can set clear priorities, protect health care and food assistance for the people who need it most, and plan ahead instead of simply reacting to every new announcement.

Anyone can see that costs have been rising due to Trump’s policies. While we are limited on what we can do at the state level, I was able to stop the gas tax hike to provide some relief to families. Rising property taxes continue to add to this burden, particularly for our seniors. That is why I fought to expand the Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze and doubled the property tax exemptions for residents with disabilities.

AI is changing how we work and live, fast. Illinois should protect people from bad actors without driving away good jobs.

How would you assess the General Assembly's handling, to date, of the various proposals surrounding a Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights? What proposals would you have been willing to support and in what ways, if any, might you have approached it differently?

I think the General Assembly has actually done quite well handling the proposals regarding the Bears considering the unpredictability and often serious weakness of the Bears’ strategy. When the Bears first emerged with asks regarding such a project they had two things in mind; predictability in taxes and a desire to own their own stadium. I believe this was in part accomplished by the megaprojects bill passed by the house the spring with the understanding that work was to continue on it in the senate. But work did not continue when it became clear the Bears were still exploring opportunities in Chicago.

There is not a real appetite in the legislature for taxpayer money to fund the stadium, but to be able to help with public infrastructure, and the Bears have not done a great job at making their case to the rank and file members in the General Assembly. They talk with leadership, but the most successful efforts in Springfield do not stop there. They involve everyone.

Now roughly three years into the elimination of cash bail in Illinois as part of the SAFE-T Act, how would you assess the success or failure of the criminal justice reform measure? What changes, if any, would you support?

While the sky has not fallen as some predicted, no legislation is final. I am always open to working with law enforcement in my district and across the state on ways to improve the SAFE-T Act.

One of the first bills I carried was for one of my local police departments, who had a modest ask to give police departments the ability to petition the court for extensions on the pre-detention hearing hold time to ensure that in complex cases they were able to make the most of their investigation before the time limit ran out and they could no longer hold the suspect. This was one among many proposed changes to the SAFE-T act this session.

Illinois homeowners face one of the highest relative property tax burdens in the country. What specific proposals could you offer to ease the burden on state residents?

Seventy percent of the property tax bill for Illinois residents is for public schools. The state has made significant improvements over the years and while Springfield has made modest improvements to funding obligations to public schools from the state, we are still far off from meeting our full level of support. Policies like the Evidence Based Funding formula have helped in this regard.

The State of Illinois has an extremely regressive tax system, and there has to be a fair revenue source dedicated strictly to property tax relief. More options are being explored in the wake of the failure of the constitutional amendment to create a graduated income tax in Illinois, like a 3% surcharge on income over $1 million. If such an amendment were adopted, half of the revenues at least should be directed at property tax relief. But we also have to be realistic that simply sending more money to districts isn’t enough on its own. When the state sends more funding, the districts should be expected to hold the line or reduce their levies. I want to see state funding increases that come along with relief for homeowners.

Gov. JB Pritzker recently paused a state initiative granting incentives to data center developers, and residents statewide have concerns about how such developments are affecting their access to water, utility rates, and the environment. How should the state approach data centers going forward?

There are multiple proposals on the table now regarding data centers that I believe would make Illinois a leader in setting the bar on regulations for these facilities. While data centers are known today for their connection to Artificial Intelligence, they also house everything from our vital medical records to streaming services.

But our modern conveniences should not come at the cost of intolerable environmental effects or costs being lumped onto our rate payers. I would like to see legislation pass that requires data centers to bring their own power to the grid, in the form of renewables as well as regulations guaranteeing that these facilities are paying their fair share of the electricity that they use. I am also enthusiastic about giving communities the tools to create resident-led Community Benefit Agreement boards, and have been working with legislators involved in these conversations to create a state-run digital resource providing examples of these CBA’s to local communities. This will be important in coming years as more communities ask whether one of these facilities is right for them, and with these resources they can make the best choice for their community.

Illinois’ “sanctuary” policies concerning immigration have made it a target for the Trump administration and critics who say they encourage criminal behavior. How do you feel about those policies, and how, if at all, would you change them?

Donald Trump has proven himself time after time to not be a legitimate source on this. As we saw during Midway Blitz and ICE operations across the country, the real safety threat comes from Donald Trump’s ICE. We need policies that strengthen relationships between police and new Americans, not create further division.

My district is home to families who came here from all over the world. They aren't criminals, but when I speak to them when out knocking doors what I do hear is fear of the criminality and barbarism coming out of Washington. Some of these people are afraid to leave their homes, despite being law abiding citizens or legal residents. That is tragic, and it is not the promise of opportunity that America has so long represented.

Many women in the legislature complain about a culture of sexual harassment in Springfield. Do you see evidence of this and, if so, what should be done about it?

This is a situation that needs to change and be taken seriously. Unfortunately, this is not a problem unique to Springfield, but something that is all to common in workplaces across the state. I want to work on real solutions that address this problem at the Capitol and across the state. I want women who work in the Capitol to be able to do their jobs without having to put up with this kind of behavior.

Oversight has to be truly independent. When legislators are responsible for investigating and disciplining other legislators, people reasonably wonder whether complaints will be handled fairly or quietly buried. The Legislative Inspector General should be able to investigate, subpoena, and make findings public without permission from colleagues. In addition, staffers and interns need a central, standard process by which to proceed with complaints through an independent human resources office that can process complaints, and when a complaint is substantiated there must be real consequences.

Are you satisfied with the state's existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?

When people talk to me at the door about corruption, they are talking about Donald Trump’s crypto schemes, no-bid contracts to friends, and stock market manipulation.

The corruption happing at the federal level continues to drive up costs for Illinois families and further erode trust in government. I want to work on ways to address corruption at all levels of government and continue to hold our federal leaders accountable. But that doesn't let us off the hook in Illinois. I support expanding bans on legislators working for companies, organizations and advocacy groups that hold state contracts or are regulated by the state. I also think there should be stricter rules on when a legislator recuses themselves from a vote. Right now too much is left to a legislator's own judgement about whether a vote benefits them. Members should have to disclose potential conflicts of interest up front and step aside from votes, in committee or on the floor, and step aside when they have a stake.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

I didn't come to the legislature from the outside, I came up through it. I started as an organizer, then worked as a legislative district office staffer. By the time I was sworn in, I already knew the legislative process. That's a big part of why I was able to pass six pieces of legislation in my first session as a freshman.

At the end of the day, a legislator's most valuable asset, besides the ability to bring together groups that fiercely disagree, is their relationships with colleagues. As a member of a caucus, the job is both legislative and political. The most effective legislators are useful in the committee room and on the campaign trail. I've built my career in both worlds, as a staffer in the Capitol and as a campaigner.

Some of my colleagues know me best because I helped them win their elections. Those relationships matter, and they help tremendously when it's time to get something done for our district. But the relationships that matter most are the ones here at home. I've spent years knocking on doors in this district and listening to what people have to say. I learned what our neighbors worry about when things go wrong, and what it takes to get them help.