Affordable health coverage is at the forefront of Robyn Gabel’s campaign to join Illinois’ state legislature.
“Health care is my passion,” Gabel said. “We still have 14 percent of the people uninsured.”
Gabel announced her bid to represent the 18th state congressional district in August and is one of five Evanston Democrats gunning for the party’s nomination. She opened her campaign office, 906 Sherman Ave., on Saturday. In attendance was Rep. Jan Schakoswky (D-Ill.) from the 9th district. The congresswoman has endorsed Gabel, who, if elected, will fill the seat Schakowsky once held in the state house.
“I met Jan many years ago,” Gabel said. “I think we have very similar visions about how we can contribute to society.”
Josh Kilroy, Gabel’s campaign manager, said Schakowsky’s endorsement speaks well for the candidate, given Schakowsky has served the same constituents in the same role.
“A lot of legislators are very protective of their old seats, and this seat’s very important to the congresswoman,” Kilroy said.
Gabel’s experience as executive director for the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition puts her in a good position to pass health care reform, Kilroy said.”You want that knowledge coming in on day one,” he said.
Gabel is up against Edmund Moran, former alderman for Evanston’s 6th Ward, Jeff Smith, Eamon Kelly and Patrick Keenan-Devlin.
Keenan-Devlin recently held an event for students, who munched on free pizza and talked policy with the candidate.
Free food or not, the candidates may have a tough time engaging students, several Northwestern students said.
Jessina Thomas, who recently turned 18, said she is not yet registered to vote and probably will not participate in the election, though she is from Freeport, Ill. The Weinberg freshman said that when she does register, she will likely do so in Evanston.
“Since I don’t know much about (the candidates), I probably won’t vote,” Thomas said.She said she felt more politically aware before coming to school and entering “the bubble,” where she no longer watches television or listens to the radio to get political news.
“I think in college we don’t pay attention to the outside world much, and we don’t get much exposure to (local politics),” Thomas said.
Gabel said she is an ideal candidate for students, in part because of her stance on Illinois’ Monetary Award Program grants, a program that provides college funding to students that has recently been threatened but stands to be reinstated pending a vote by the state senate.
“MAP grants are great things,” Gabel said. “We all know how hard it is to work and go to school, even though some students still have to.”
