Carbondale, Ill. – The Illinois Federation of Teachers has endorsed the “We the People” campaign of Ray Lenzi, Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’s 12th District.
“I consider the IFT endorsement to be quite an honor,” said Lenzi. “As a former educator myself, our campaign backs teachers, local schools and students and will push to improve all aspects of the educational experience at the federal level.
In making their endorsement, the IFT wrote, “an endorsement from the IFT is a signal to Illinois voters that you will be an advocate for public education, vital public services and working families. This endorsement is also a signal to the diverse membership of the IFT that you will be a partner with us in finding the best solutions to the state’s many challenges.”
The IFT is a statewide organization of more than 103,000 teachers, educational workers, university and community college faculty and staff, and state employees.
The Lenzi campaign also picked up an endorsement from Our Revolution Downstate, a local branch of the Our Revolution organization. Our Revolution groups have been organizing across Illinois to elect progressives and advance a progressive issue agenda at every level of government.
“Our Revolution has achieved some significant victories,” noted Lenzi. “Our campaign is proud to have the backing of this important grass roots community organization.”
The Lenzi campaign has also won endorsements from the United Steelworkers union, the national Indivisible organization, Mom’s Demand Action, LEAP Forward, the Sunrise Movement, and the Sierra Club.
“These endorsements are very important in that they let voters knows where our campaign stands on the issues,” said Lenzi. “We expect to receive the backing of many more groups in the weeks leading up to the November election. It’s time to retire Mike Bost.”

by Raymond Lenzi, Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 12th District

The Trump Administration has totally failed the American people on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Total deaths in this country are expected to approach a quarter million by the end of the year and we are struggling with a wrecked economy that finds some 45 million people out of work and facing personal crises of housing, income and food.
How did we sink so low? There are two answers: 1) the Trump Administration’s incompetence and denial and 2) the complicity of Republican senators and congressmen, including Mike Bost, and other leaders.
President Trump’s total disinterest in the crisis started with disbanding the Pandemic Task Force, followed by his initial denial and his braggadocio promise months ago that cases would soon go to “zero” and the virus would “disappear”. Then came the blatant mocking of masks, the refusal to model and lead, and his attempt to hold mass rallies without masks and social distancing.
We are now paying the price in illness, death and economic devastation not seen since the Great Depression.
Our great country, the world leader in science, technology and medicine, is now the pariah of the world with Europe and much of the globe closing their doors to American visitors. Only two years ago my wife and I were welcomed to my Italian grandparents’ hometown near Bologna by my cousins. Now, Americans are one of the few nationals not allowed entry to Europe.
It didn’t have to be this way.
So where is our Congressman Mike Bost in all this? The silence and lack of conscience and leadership stands as a testament to the moral bankruptcy of “No Show” Mike.
It shouldn’t surprise us though. Mike Bost has sold us out as a regular practice. He voted 33 times to take away the health insurance of 30 million nationally including 50,000 in his own district! That would have cost 3,500 local doctors, nurses and allied healthcare workers their jobs. He and Trump’s major “accomplishment” was a tax cut for the super-rich, with 83% of the dollars going to the top 1%, those making more than $ 450,000 per year. How many of you reading this fit that demographic? Mike Bost is now clearly marked as a pawn of Big Pharma, costing you more for your medicines. He has also voted for huge cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
Let us state it plainly: Donald Trump and Mike Bost have blood on their hands. Incompetence and silence are costing tens of thousands of American lives. It’s time to retire Donald Trump and Mike Bost.