Illinois 9th Congressional District U.S. Representative candidates Jan Schakowsky (D) and Rogers Park resident Max Rice debated abortion rights, voter security and partisanship Monday. 

Schakowsky currently represents the 9th District, which includes Evanston, Skokie and other northern Chicago suburbs. She has been in office since 1998 and took 71% of the vote in 2021.  

At the virtual forum, Schakowsky focused on protecting voters’ rights and reproductive rights, emphasizing the right to abortion access. The Supreme Court, which abolished the federal right to an abortion on June 24, is out of touch with the country, Schakowsky said, and it is Congress’s duty to override the decision by cementing abortion rights into law.

“The House of Representatives has already voted once now to restore abortion rights,” Schakowsky said. “Now, we call on the Senate to act.”

Throughout the forum, Schakowsky discussed the policies she has supported during her time in office, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which she said helped lower the cost of healthcare in Illinois, and red flag laws, which limited gun ownership. 

Rice — a millennial and a “Republican in philosophy,” according to his website — promised to practice nonpartisan governing. 

He said he will disown his affiliation with the Republican party if elected, though he is currently registered as a Republican. He ran unopposed in the party primary.

“You guys have been spreading that I’m running as a Republican,” Rice said. “The first thing that I’ll do when I’m in office is I’m going to get rid of that Republican label and be an Independent.” 

Rice is currently an energy consultant and said he is concerned about topsoil, water and air quality, but does not support greenhouse gas policies like carbon taxes. He ran in the 2018 Republican primaries and said he wanted to address corrupt Illinois politicians. 

Rice is also worried about crime, which he claimed is legal in Chicago. He supports requiring voter IDs to address election security and believes people broadly want regulation around abortion access, although he said the issue should ultimately be a discussion between an individual and their doctor.  

Rice, who repeatedly interrupted Schakowsky throughout the forum, argued that his opponent “sold out and made my life tangibly worse” as his congressperson. 

FiveThirtyEight, an election data and polling website, gives Schakowsky a 99% chance of winning the seat, though voters will decide their 9th District representative at the polls Nov. 8. 

Monday’s event was hosted by the League of Women Voters in an attempt to increase transparency between candidates and constituents. Glenview/Glencoe League of Women Voters President Susan Swaringen was one of two moderating the event. 

“The league is hosting this forum because we believe that while voting itself is important, an informed vote is ideal,” Swaringen said. 

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Twitter: @shannonmatyler

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