Nikki Budzinski
American politician (born 1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicole Jai Budzinski (/bədˈzɪnski/ bəd-ZIN-skee; pol. /bud͡ʑiɲski/) (born March 11, 1977)[1][2] is an American trade unionist and politician. She has served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district since 2023, and is a member of the Democratic Party.[3]
March 11, 1977
Nikki Budzinski | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 13th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Rodney Davis (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nicole Jai Budzinski March 11, 1977 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Budzinski worked for most of her career for trade unions. Just before being elected, Budzinski served as chief of staff to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Biden administration beginning in 2021.[4][5]
Early life and education
Budzinski was born in Peoria, Illinois.[6] Her paternal grandparents were both union members: Leonard Budzinski, her grandfather, as a painter employed by the Peoria School District, and her grandmother as a teacher in the same district.[7]
Budzinski graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign[8][9] and interned for U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt, U.S. Senator Paul Simon, and Planned Parenthood.[10][11]
Early career
Budzinski started her career at the Laborers' International Union of North America and the International Association of Fire Fighters before spending seven years with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) unions.[12] She worked for the UFCW as national political director in Washington, D.C.[13]
During the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, Budzinski led J. B. Pritzker's exploratory committee and was later a senior advisor to his campaign, focusing on political strategy, messaging and outreach. After Pritzker won, she was named transition director.[14]
When Pritzker became governor on January 14, 2019, Budzinski was appointed senior advisor.[15][16] She simultaneously chaired the Broadband Advisory Council (BAC), a state agency "charged with ... expand[ing] broadband access, adoption, and utilization" in Illinois. Budzinski resigned as senior advisor to the governor in March 2020.[17] She worked with John Podesta to advise the National Climate Jobs Resource Center and was Executive Director for Climate Jobs Illinois.[4]
In February 2021, Budzinski, recommended for the post by Podesta, was appointed chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[4] During her tenure as chief of staff, she helped set up the OMB's Made in America division. On July 16, 2021, Budzinski resigned to return to Illinois, saying she "felt it was a good time to come back [to Illinois] ... after getting things off the ground here".[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
On August 24, 2021, Budzinski announced her bid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois's 13th congressional district. The district had been significantly redrawn to favor Democrats; it now included the core of the Metro East.[18][19] She won the primary in June 2022 against David Palmer[20] and the general election in November against the Republican nominee, Regan Deering.[21]
2024
Budzinski was reelected in 2024, defeating Republican Joshua Loyd with 58.1% of the vote to Loyd's 41.9%.[22] She ran ahead of the top of the Democratic ticket in the district.[23]
2026
In the March 2026 Democratic primary, Budzinski defeated progressive challenger Dylan Blaha who tried to run to her left.[24][25] She received 75.1% of the vote in the primary.[26] Election forecasters have rated the race as a safe Democratic seat.[27][28]
Tenure
.jpg)
Budzinski is the Vice Chair for Policy for the moderate New Democrat Coalition.[29] She helped roll out the coalition's "Affordability Agenda," a policy package aimed at the rising cost of health care, housing, energy, and groceries.[30] Budzinski serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Veterans' Affairs, where she is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.[31] In that role, she has conducted oversight on the Department of Veterans Affairs' electronic health record modernization program and its contractor, Oracle, holding her first subcommittee hearing on the effort in February 2025.[32]
Committee assignments
For the 119th Congress:[31][33]
Caucus memberships
Political positions
A member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, Budzinski has been described as a centrist.[38][39]
Abortion
Budzinski supports abortion rights. During her 2022 campaign she backed codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law and repealing the Hyde Amendment.[40] She was an intern at Planned Parenthood and was endorsed by the organization's political arm.[41][42]
Agriculture
As a member of the House Agriculture Committee representing a district with a significant farmland presence, Budzinski has called for a stronger crop insurance program and farm safety net.[43] She has also opposed cuts to nutrition programs like SNAP in farm bill negotiations.[43] She reintroduced bipartisan legislation to permit year-round nationwide sales of E15 gasoline, which includes ethanol in its mixture.[44][45]
Health care
Budzinski is against Medicare for All and opposes a single-payer healthcare system, and has stated her belief that "more competition in the healthcare system actually makes for a better healthcare system but will also bring down costs."[46] She co-sponsored the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, introduced in December 2025, which would bar large pharmacy benefit managers from inflating drug prices and sterering patients to affiliated pharmacies.[47][48] During the 2025 government shutdown, she called renewing the Affordable Care Act's marketplace tax credits "a red line" and opposed Republican cuts to Medicaid.[49]
Immigration
In January 2025, Budzinski was one of 48 Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act, which mandated the detention, without bond, of undocumented immigrants who are accused of crimes.[50][51] On the question of whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be reformed or abolished, in August 2026 she said "The training — there is no training for these officers", and believes there should be "system-wide reform" of the agency, "but it doesn’t change, whatever you want to call it, we need immigration enforcement in this country."[46]
Israel and Palestine
In 2023 Budzinski co-sponsored a resolution to reaffirm U.S. support for Israel following the October 7 attacks. She has voted in favor of military aid to Israel throughout the Gaza war, and although she has expressed concern about humanitarian conditions in Gaza and supported ceasefire efforts, she has vocally supported Israel's "right to self defense", saying "I do believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, and I do support that. They are the only democracy within the Middle East".[52][53][54] She has received criticism for accepting money from the Israel lobby, including AIPAC.[54] In July 2026, Budzinski was one of 98 Democrats who voted against an amendment introduced by Thomas Massie which would have eliminated $3.3 billion in aid to Israel.[55]
Labor
A former national political director for the UFCW, Budzinski is a supporter of organized labor.[56] Budzinski received endorsements from "an array of labor unions" during her first campaign for her seat because of her background.[57] In 2025, she intervened in a HUD housing project in her district after being alerted to safety issues by the local SEIU chapter's membership.[58]
She is an original cosponsor of the PRO Act and of the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which sets deadlines for negotiating first union contracts and passed the House in June 2026.[59][60] She also reintroduced the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would guarantee collective-bargaining rights for first responders.[61]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nikki Budzinski | 31,593 | 75.6 | |
| Democratic | David Palmer | 10,216 | 24.4 | |
| Total votes | 41,809 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nikki Budzinski | 141,788 | 56.6 | ||
| Republican | Regan Deering | 108,646 | 43.4 | ||
| Write-in | 16 | 0.0 | |||
| Total votes | 250,450 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nikki Budzinski (incumbent) | 191,339 | 58.1 | |
| Republican | Joshua Loyd | 137,917 | 41.9 | |
| Green | Chibuihe Asonye (write-in) | 244 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 329,500 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nikki Budzinski | 44,763 | 75.09 | |
| Democratic | Dylan Blaha | 14,850 | 24.91 | |
| Total votes | 59,613 | 100.0 | ||
