Advocating for voices that aren’t heard.
A phrase that sums up Paul Nolley’s campaign.
On Wednesday night, the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 16th congressional district spoke to students and the Peoria community in Neumiller Hall.
To start, Nolley gave a speech providing insight into his background and upbringing.
”I’m a lifelong resident of the Rockford area, so, much like Peoria, there are a lot of blue-collar folks in that town,” Nolley said. “I’m from a working-class blue-collar family, my dad wrenched and my mother worked in restaurants.”
In the speech, Nolley also described his aspirations and what he hopes to accomplish if elected to Congress.
“We have to get back to serving the interests of working-class people,” Nolley said. “[We need] common sense policies that are going to tangibly improve the lives of folks like my dad and all the people I grew up with in the Rockford area.”
Once Nolley concluded his speech, he took questions from the public, who wanted to know the candidate’s stance on recent “No Kings” protests around the nation.
“What I like about the ‘No Kings’ movement is, whoever you [are], you can have a place there,” Nolley said. “If you have people rising up, being part of a movement, getting out there and making demands, that’s the only way we can make these structural changes.”
Nolley also expressed his interest in understanding the priorities of the younger generation, saying he would fight for them. Some concerns include the job market, college tuition, childcare and minimum wage.
“Looking at my children’s eyes, that’s why I’m doing this,” Nolley said. “It’s for the kids, my kids, for your generation, for the generations to come.”
Nolley also discussed some of his policies, specifically the economic challenges many families face. He expressed a “pro-family” stance, prioritizing families’ needs along with the needs of those who want to start a family.
“Our childcare bill for two young kids was just about as much as our mortgage cost; that is not sustainable,” Nolley said. “Our policy should be aligned to make it easier for you to have kids, raise kids and spend time with your kids.”
Nolley was invited to campus by the Bradley Democrats due to the proximity of Illinois’ 16th congressional district. Members of the organization believe it is important to bring in people who represent their party.
“Even though the club’s not entirely just about the party, it is about helping the area,” Ryan Angulo, sophomore sports communication major and Bradley Democrats fundraising director, said. “I think Paul Nolley is a candidate that will help with that, and I think he’s a good person in terms of having ideas that will help the community.”
Nolley’s speaker event brought students together and provided new opportunities, something the Bradley Democrats aspire to keep doing.
“There’s a chance to earn philanthropy hours, and we also have an established internship with the Peoria Democrats,” Grant Bennington, junior history and political science major and Bradley Democrats president, said. “It’s a little bit of networking, and it’s a chance to meet people who have similar interests.”
Nolley hopes that speaking with college students will uplift and encourage them to be more involved in politics.
“Rise up, be part of something bigger,” Nolley said. “Your actions, your energy, your talent will help create hope for the next person, and you can make a change at a local level, school, our campaign, whatever it is, but you have to keep up hope.”
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