Democratic Candidate · Illinois U.S. Senate 2026
Former Congressional Aide · "Abundance" Economics Advocate
Steve Botsford Jr. is the best-funded Democratic candidate outside the top three. He has a background as a congressional aide and has built a campaign around the emerging "abundance" economics framework — the idea that Democrats should focus on aggressively expanding supply of housing, clean energy, and affordable services to reduce costs for working families.
His policy platform is notably more focused on structural economic reform than the other minor candidates and draws on intellectual currents within the Democratic Party around deregulation for progressive ends — permitting reform, zoning reform, and supply-side investment in green energy.
Botsford's central campaign message is reducing the cost of living through expanding supply rather than relying solely on redistribution. This "abundance" framework — associated with thinkers like Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, and the Abundance Institute — argues that progressive governance should prioritize building: more housing, more clean energy infrastructure, more healthcare capacity.
Supports federal incentives and mandates for zoning reform to allow more housing construction, particularly in high-cost urban and suburban areas. Argues that housing scarcity is a primary driver of economic inequality and that supply expansion is essential to affordability.
Advocates for dramatically accelerating clean energy deployment through permitting reform, transmission line buildout, and federal investment. Sees the clean energy transition as both an environmental and economic opportunity.
Focuses on the cost side of healthcare — expanding supply of providers, reducing administrative burden, and increasing competition — in addition to coverage expansion.