Mike Vick

Mike Vick was born in Daly City, California, and lives in Kankakee, Illinois. He graduated from Lone Oak High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of San Francisco in 2007. He attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for three semesters. His professional experience includes serving as executive advisor to Chris Butler and political director for Butler’s 2022 congressional campaign. He has also worked as field director for Citizens Action Coalition, organized home care and child care workers for SEIU, and conducted field outreach and fundraising for Greenpeace.[1][2][3][4]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running for governor to give Illinoisans a principled, pro-life for the whole life alternative. I am an Illinois political activist, journalist, media producer, and community advocate with a background spanning journalism, organized labor, consumer advocacy, faith-based civic engagement, and electoral politics.

I began his career in journalism as a reporter for Catholic San Francisco and later worked in local television news before moving into political and community organizing in 2016. My experience includes organizing home-care and childcare workers with SEIU Healthcare, fundraising for Working America and Greenpeace, serving as field canvass director for Citizens Action Coalition, Indiana’s largest consumer advocacy organization, and serving as political director for Pastor Chris Butler’s 2022 congressional campaign in IL-1.

I was the American Solidarity Party’s endorsed candidate for Congress in IL-2 in 2024 and have held leadership and development roles with ASP. I have also worked extensively at the intersection of faith, media, and public life, including as executive advisor to Pastor Chris Butler, chief strategic officer for the AND Campaign and co-host of AND's Church Politics podcast. I am host and executive producer of Unorthodoxing. My career reflects a longstanding focus on building common ground across political divisions and advancing the causes of life, justice, labor, peace, family, community, environmental stewardship, and democracy.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Illinoisans face some of the highest combined state and local tax rates in the nation. We will fix our broken fiscal climate by abandoning top-down corporate subsidies and shifting toward local wealth-building.

Stop spending billions on massive, high-maintenance highway expansions that trap our municipalities in long-term debt. Pivot state infrastructure funding toward fixing existing roads, investing in walkable town centers, and supporting low-cost, high-return local improvements.

We will cut red tape and restructure state tax incentives to favor small family businesses, local local farms, and worker-owned cooperatives. By keeping wealth local, we build a resilient economy that doesn't require a constant cycle of new state taxes.llinois has a deeply rooted reputation for political insider deals. To break the gridlock and bypass special-interest lobbyists, we need to hand real decision-making power back to the people.

Following proven global frameworks from the OECD, we will establish Citizen Assemblies to address our most complex, polarizing state issues (like pension reform and budgetary structural deficits). These are panels of everyday Illinoisans, selected by civic lottery to match the exact demographics of our state. They will be given the time, access to independent experts, and resources to deliberate deeply and deliver binding policy recommendations to the legislature—putting the public back in control of the government.Rents and mortgages are eating up far too much of the average Illinoisan's paycheck. We need to treat housing as a fundamental social foundation for strong families, not a speculative asset for Wall Street hedge funds.

We will pioneer state-backed financing programs to help municipalities and non-profits build high-quality, mixed-income developments owned by the public or the community. We will incentivize the creation of Community Land Trusts to take residential land off the speculative market permanently.

We will champion a shift toward an Land Value Tax model, which taxes the unimproved value of land while reducing the tax burden on actual buildings, to encourage development and limit real estate speculation.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have spent much of my political career working on environmental policy issues. Without a healthy and habitable planet, all other issues become moot. I have championed a just and rapid transition to green renewable energy, and the creation of a resilient and natural food system to ensure human flourishing.

I also champion efforts to increase citizen participation, including civic juries, participatory budgeting, deliberative democracy through civic lotteries, getting money out of politics, and implementing STAR voting, which eliminates the spoiler effect and the gatekeeping role of low-turnout primaries, putting more power in the hands of voters. The major parties stifle independent competition. Voters deserve more choices.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up most to Jesus Christ. I seek to follow Him and to die to my sins daily. He is the only person who ever lived who never sinned, so He's the only role model who's example is one we can follow without making exception for character failures. My faith in Him isn't about religion or following a set of rules. It's about having a personal relationship with Him.

In my political life, I seek to follow the words of Christ while also trying to bridge the gaps between people who believe in Him and people who do not, as well as between people who differ politically. I have strongly-held political beliefs that I feel are justified by the Bible, but I would never presume to insult others who hold opposing beliefs either about the Bible, about politics, or both, It's important to stand firm on our beliefs and to know why we believe what we believe so that we can defend it, but I try not to let those debates descend into personal attacks.

The language people often use in political debates frequently mirrors the language of apologetics and faith. But the "truth" we're defending tends just to be the fallible opinions of equally fallible people. It wouldn't matter if our political fervor were on behalf of the politics of Donald Trump, Joe Biden or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We see only in part, and we are prone to put our faith in things and in people who do not deserve it. So, while I'll always stand firm on my beliefs, I try to stay humble and to listen to people who disagree with me. I've changed my mind on issues before when presented with compelling reasons to do so, and I'm sure it will happen again many times before I die.

As the Apostle Paul writes, "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God ... So let no one boast in human leaders ..." (1 Corinthians 3:18-19, 21)

We should boast only in Christ.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Public servants need compassion, putting themselves in the shoes of the most vulnerable and giving them a voice in the halls of power. Public servants must have the wisdom to discern the best course of action to take to solve a problem given the circumstances and the available options. Public servants must be brave in the face of powerful interests who would seek to subvert the will of the people for their own private gain.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The governor's job is to faithfully execute the laws made by the people through their elected state representatives. The governor should certainly be a check on the power of the legislature, as he or she is also elected by the people. But the governor should take care not to exploit this check in order to serve his or her own political interests. The people can ensure the governor will do this by holding him or her accountable to their interests through aggressively rooting out political corruption. The governor has a responsibility to represent the people, not his or her wealthy campaign contributors.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to make my state and my nation more democratic, putting more power into the hands of regular people. Power has become too centralized in the hands of government and large corporations. I would like to put that political and economic power into the hands of everyday people so they have control over their own lives and communities.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was for a local grocery store. I had the job less than a year. I mostly worked in the dairy department and occasionally bagged groceries. The grocery store was near my house, so it was a convenient job while I was in high school.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with anxiety, which has on rare occasions manifested with anxiety attacks. Through counseling, I have been able to develop better coping mechanisms to de-stress and reach out for support.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Since the governor is charged with executing the laws of the state, I would say the most important responsibility is to appoint competent, compassionate and just people to executive branch positions charged with the various functions of the executive branch.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

I believe the line-item veto is an overreach of executive power into what should be the prerogative of the legislative branch. If I were to be elected governor, I would not only not use this power, but I would urge the state legislature to amend the state constitution to remove this power from future governors.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

The governor should be able to use emergency powers after lawfully declared emergencies, but these powers should be as circumscribed and finite as practicable.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The first historical event I remember was the Loma Prieta Earthquake, not because I was personally there but because my dad was a union ironworker in San Francisco and lived through the quake. This was October 17, 1989, which happened to be my sister's fifth birthday. We lived in far northern California at the time, and in order to get steady work, my dad often had to travel down to San Francisco, where he would stay for a few weeks or more in order to make money to send back home. While my dad was unscathed, he saw a lot of destruction, death and chaos that day.

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Campaign website

Vick’s campaign website stated the following:

Sanctity of Life

All human beings deserve to live free from aggressive violence from conception to natural death. We should work to create a society free from abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, police brutality, torture and unjust war.

Social Justice

We have a collective responsibility to society’s most vulnerable members. Societal structures should uphold the equal value and dignity of each person, regardless of any personal characteristics. This requires efforts to address systemic and historic injustices, including long-standing racial injustice and sexism.

Centrality of the Family

Marriage and the family are the central institutions of society and must be supported. Government must promote the wellbeing of all families because the family provides for the nurturing of children, who are our future.

Economic Security

Government must work to end economic injustice by creating promoting widespread ownership of property and production. Personal, cooperative, and social ownership are all valid in a just society. Workers’ rights and a family wage must be ensured, and those who cannot work should receive income adequate for full participation in society.

Community-Oriented Society

Humans are created to live in communities, and the proper organization of our communities is necessary for the flourishing of our societies. Society consists of various institutions and communities, like families, governments, and religious groups, whose primary authority over their own affairs should be respected and defended. Higher levels of government should serve to empower and support lower levels of authority, rather than replace them.

Care for the Environment

Cultivation and good stewardship ought to characterize the relationship between people and the environment. Both government and civil society have a responsibility to protect natural resources, now and for future generations.

Peace & International Solidarity

Peace is the fruit of justice and requires solidarity among peoples and nations. Aid and trade policies must advance justice, sustainability, and human flourishing. We must exhaust all diplomatic and nonviolent means of conflict resolution before considering military action. War must be the last resort and strictly adhere to just-war principles.

Respect for Democracy

We the people can and should take an active role in decision making through decentralized, deliberative democracy. Get money out of our politics, pass meaningful election reforms so voters have more choices on the ballot, remove unnecessary barriers to entry for independent candidates, and make voting both more secure and easier for all.[5]

—Mike Vick’s campaign website (2024)[6]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mike Vick serves as field canvass director for Citizens Action Coalition, Indiana's largest consumer advocacy group, fighting for fair utility rates, energy policy reform, pollution prevention and family farmers. He organized home care and child care workers for the Service Employees International Union, fighting for better pay and working conditions. He also worked as a field canvasser for Greenpeace, a global nonprofit organization fighting for a green and peaceful future. Vick was a web editor and associate producer for television news station WPSD. His first job out of college was as a reporter for a weekly newspaper.

Vick graduated cum laude from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in political science.

Vick's father was a union iron worker and organizer and his mother was a teacher and school board member.

Vick lives in Noblesville, Indiana, with his wife and their two children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Healthcare is a human right, and Vick will fight to ensure all Hoosiers get the care they need, a message that has taken on particular relevance in the wake of COVID-19.Hoosier families deserve a living wage, the right to a union and a lower cost of living. Vick will fight for a $15 minimum wage indexed to inflation, repeal the anti-union "right to work" (for less) law, and support initiatives aimed at lowering the cost of living for Hoosier families.All children deserve a great education, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents have. Indiana should fund schools equitably and ensure that every school has the staff, supplies, and training it needs so that every student, including those with special needs, can thrive.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am deeply passionate about many areas of public policy, including health care, workers rights and education. But I am also passionate about two areas of public policy that many politicians neglect: election and campaign finance reform and environmental policy.

Regarding election and campaign finance reform, regardless of where people stand on any given issue, unless we make our system more democratic, money will continue to drown out the voices of the people. Our campaign finance system allows wealthy contributors and private corporations to purchase elections. This leads to politicians who do not represent the will of the people. I would move toward public financing of elections and ensure all candidates have fair debate and ballot access. We should also move toward score voting, which will give voters more and better choices on Election Day. Voters can learn more at https://www.starvoting.us/.

As for environmental policy, none of this matters if we do not have a habitable planet on which to live. We should protect our rivers, soil, and air from pollution of any kind, which threatens harm against Hoosiers who live, work, and seek recreation in our rural and undeveloped areas. Meanwhile, the state has enormous potential for generating our own clean energy, with a combination of solar, wind, battery technology and energy efficiency. I oppose fracking, carbon capture and sequestration, and continued taxpayer subsidies for overpriced and under-performing power plants.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up most to Jesus Christ. I seek to follow Him and to die to my sins daily. He is the only person who ever lived who never sinned, so He's the only role model who's example is one we can follow without making exception for character failures. My faith in Him isn't about religion or following a set of rules. It's about having a personal relationship with Him.

In my political life, I seek to follow the words of Christ while also trying to bridge the gaps between people who believe in Him and people who do not, as well as between people who differ politically. I have strongly-held political beliefs that I feel are justified by the Bible, but I would never presume to insult others who hold opposing beliefs either about the Bible, about politics, or both, It's important to stand firm on our beliefs and to know why we believe what we believe so that we can defend it, but I try not to let those debates descend into personal attacks.

The language people often use in political debates frequently mirrors the language of apologetics and faith. But the "truth" we're defending tends just to be the fallible opinions of equally fallible people. It wouldn't matter if our political fervor were on behalf of the politics of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney or Donald Trump. We see only in part, and we are prone to put our faith in things and in people who do not deserve it. So, while I'll always stand firm on my beliefs, I try to stay humble and to listen to people who disagree with me. I've changed my mind on issues before when presented with compelling reasons to do so, and I'm sure it will happen again many times before I die.

As the Apostle Paul writes, "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God ... So let no one boast in human leaders ..." (1 Corinthians 3:18-19, 21)

We should boast only in Christ.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Two of the most important political books I've come across in recent years are "Dark Money" by Jane Meyer and "Listen, Liberal" by Thomas Frank.

"Dark Money" shows the ways in which the Republican Party has turned away from the values it espouses and has been corrupted by the influence of corporate cash.

Meanwhile, "Listen, Liberal" shows the ways in which corporate money and misplaced focus have caused the Democratic Party to abandon its ideals.

One of the most important books I've read regarding the history of the United States, both its politics and its people, is "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Public servants need compassion, putting themselves in the shoes of the most vulnerable and giving them a voice in the halls of power. Public servants must have the wisdom to discern the best course of action to take to solve a problem given the circumstances and the available options. Public servants must be brave in the face of powerful interests who would seek to subvert the will of the people for their own private gain.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a passion for public policy and a deep commitment to the rights of working families like mine.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of a state legislator are to write, sponsor or co-sponsor legislation that will improve the lives of their constituents and the state as a whole. State legislators must also gather the best evidence and testimony available to come to conclusions about how to craft that legislation. Finally, one of the most important but least visible aspects of a legislator's job is constituent services, that is, helping constituents deal with problems they're facing. This can involve reaching out to other elected officials or to government agencies, or if appropriate, drawing attention to the problem at the legislature or in the news media.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to make my state and my nation more democratic, putting more power into the hands of regular people. Power has become too centralized in the hands of government and large corporations. I would like to put that political and economic power into the hands of everyday people so they have control over their own lives and communities.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love the book "1984" by George Orwell. The book's warnings against authoritarianism and conformity are more relevant now than ever.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would want to be Superman. He was always my favorite fictional character as a child, and his ideals still inspire me to this day.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I couldn't stop playing a song I first heard a few weeks ago called "Don't Look Back" by Kitomi and Ryan Elder.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

From a practical perspective, upper chambers are often less responsive to the will of the people because each legislator represents a much larger group of people. Provided that we get the corrosive influence of money out of politics, this problem can be mitigated without going to a unicameral legislative model. However, I am ultimately in favor of anything that puts more power into the hands of individuals and communities, and less in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians. The more transparent and responsive legislators are to the will of the people, the better. For this reason, I favor ballot initiatives as well as efforts to decentralize power by making state governments more accountable to the people and communities they're supposed to represent.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It can be beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics. It's most beneficial for elected officials to represent a wide range of professional backgrounds. And while we must never let representation turn into tokenism by disregarding the policy positions of individuals who seek high office, fair representation rightly means a lot to under-represented populations. Far too few women, far too few people of color, and far too few working class and middle income people are to be found in the halls of power. This must change.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

We have a state that works really well for the well-connected and affluent, and not so well for the rest of us. It's critically important that we share our prosperity more broadly. We must stop leaving Hoosiers behind when it comes to health care, jobs and educational opportunities. We must end a system with so many disparities between people of different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

A further challenge we'll face is that the runaway effects of climate change will negatively impact us all, but particularly those who are already disadvantaged by systemic inequality. We must ensure that even as we pursue economic justice and racial justice, we are not leaving behind environmental justice. All these issues are interconnected.

The biggest obstacle we'll face in tackling all these problems remains the corrosive influence of money on our political system. So, while we must not wait to address any of the issues above, we must also end money's stranglehold on our democratic institutions.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The governor's job is to faithfully execute the laws made by the people through their elected state representatives. The governor should certainly be a check on the power of the legislature, as he or she is also elected by the people. But the governor should take care not to exploit this check in order to serve his or her own political interests. The people can ensure the governor will do this by holding him or her accountable to their interests through aggressively rooting out political corruption. The governor has a responsibility to represent the people, not his or her wealthy campaign contributors.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Building relationships with other legislators will be critical to get anything done at the state house. I have a long history of working with people of diverse political backgrounds to achieve common interests, which will serve me well in my efforts to forge these relationships.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor independent, non-partisan redistricting. State legislatures far too often use their redistricting power to favor their own narrow, partisan political interests. This leaves average voters without meaningful representation. I favor giving more power to individual voters, not to politicians and their wealthy campaign contributors.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would like to be a part of as many committees as possible, but specifically, I am most interested in:

- Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development

- Employment, Labor and Pensions

- Environmental Affairs

- Financial Institutions

- Natural Resources

- Public Health

- Utilities and Energy

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would absolutely be interested in whatever leadership role my party might confer on me, but I prefer to lead by example and in a collegial manner. I also understand that I must put in time before I would have the kind of experience and relationships that would merit a leadership position.

What's more, my goal is not to lead my party but to be a voice for all the people in my district, whether they're members of my party or not. I do not believe either major political party fully represents the will of the people, and neither political party completely encapsulates my beliefs, either. I'll work with Hoosiers of all political stripes to ensure Indiana moves forward in a better direction.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would say I model my politics not after any particular legislator, but on my research of the available options and on my own experience. There are some historical figures I greatly admire, but every one of them has flaws, sometimes serious flaws, even when compared to their own contemporaries, let alone as compared to our present day.

I find some of the most inspiring figures who were engaged in political activism never actually attained elected office. Some never sought it.

One of the most inspiration political figures I've come across is labor organizer Eugene V. Debs, who worked tirelessly for the rights of working people in Indiana and around the country. He received nearly a million votes while unjustly imprisoned for advocating peace during World War I.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

At this time, I'm focused on being the best state legislator I can be. If other opportunities arise down the line, I'll have to determine whether I can best serve the people of my district and my state by taking those opportunities, or by remaining a state legislator.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents o