Nick Pyati

Nick Pyati was born in Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Columbia and a graduate degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School. His career experience includes working as a public school teacher, prosecutor, and corporate strategy senior leader.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’ve taught public school in New York City with Teach for America, prosecuted corporate crimes in President Obama’s Justice Department, and led strategy for major products at Microsoft. I’ve always been driven by a belief that things can be better - and an impatience to get there.

Since November, that impatience has been growing.

I’ve watched the wreckage of this administration pile up, and have been waiting for the Democratic Party–my party since before I could vote–to lead.

Now, I'm running for Congress because it’s clear that we need new leadership and a new approach.

That’s why I’m offering a clear vision for the future, focused on renewing the American dream, building the future, and fighting for freedom–all deeply informed by my experience.

I was born and raised in the Chicago area and now live in Evanston with my wife and our sons. School and work have taken me around the country, but this has always been home. Our country desperately needs leadership now, and I know our district is up to the challenge.

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?

In the last century, America led the world. We beat back autocrats, built a thriving middle class, invented new industries, and advanced civil rights. Now, many Americans feel we’ve lost our way. Those triumphs are a distant memory, and our sense of shared purpose is fading.

We need leaders who can meet this moment with ambition and clarity, but Democrats haven’t delivered. We’ve paid the price with voters and allowed a disastrous era to continue.

We urgently need a new path. If we cling to ideas that have failed for a decade, we’ll keep losing. If we offer a vision for a stronger, fairer, and freer nation, we can inspire the country and build a winning majority.

That vision is a New American Century. America can lead again.We Must:

Reverse this administration’s attacks on education and preserve funding for public schools

Invest in alternative skill pathways, like flexible degree programs and certificates, and give employers incentives to hire candidates who use them

Invest in research and programs to give all students AI literacy and readiness

End tariffs and other policies that needlessly drive up costs

Reform our tax code to shift the burden off middle-class families

Reduce barriers to increasing supply of housing and other critical necessities

Reverse cruel cuts to Medicaid, strengthen and stabilize Social Security, and pass Medicare for All

Advance policies like paid parental leave that help Americans take care of themselves and their loved onesWe Must:

Reinstate and expand federal research funding, and protect science from politics

Invest in critical and emerging industries to fuel America’s competitiveness

Give scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs from all over the world the incentive to discover and build in America

End restrictive trade practices that hobble the American economy

Strengthen trade relationships to ensure American companies have access to the world’s markets

Vigorously enforce antitrust law to drive competition and give small and innovative companies a chance to win

Experiment with new ways for the public to participate in steering innovation, particularly in high-stakes fields like AI

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Renewing the American Dream by expanding economic growth, making life more affordable, and taking care of our families and communities.

Building the Future by investing in research and innovation, creating an open economy, and modernizing regulation for the 21st century.

Fighting for Freedom by securing American democracy, strengthening civil and human rights, and defending democracy around the world.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Fall of the Berlin Wall when I was 6 years old.

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

I was a dishwasher at Panera for the summer after high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes