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Kam Buckner

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Kam Buckner
Buckner in 2022
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 26th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 18, 2019
Preceded byChristian Mitchell
Personal details
Born
Kambium Elijah Buckner

(1985-05-12) May 12, 1985 (age 39)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA)
DePaul University (JD)
Signature
College football career
No. 59
PositionOffensive tackle
Defensive line
Class2007
Personal information
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight280 lb (127 kg)
Career history
CollegeIllinois Fighting Illini (2003–2007)
High schoolMorgan Park (Chicago, Illinois)

Kambium Elijah "Kam" Buckner (born May 12, 1985)[1] is an American politician and attorney who serves as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 26th district. The district, located entirely in Chicago, includes neighborhoods such as Bronzeville, Downtown, Gold Coast, and Hyde Park, among others.[2] Buckner is the past chair of the Illinois House Black Caucus and current Assistant Majority Leader for the House Democratic Caucus.[3][4] In college, he played football for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team as an offensive tackle and defensive lineman.

He was a candidate in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, but lost in the first round.

Early life and education

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Buckner was raised on the South Side of Chicago, and attended Morgan Park High School. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team and was a teammate of future NFL players Vontae Davis, Kelvin Hayden, Pierre Thomas, and Rashard Mendenhall. While at the University of Illinois he became a member of Omega Psi Phi.[5] Buckner later earned a J.D. degree from the DePaul University College of Law.[6]

Early career

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Buckner began his political career as an aide to Senator Dick Durbin in Washington D.C. from 2007 until 2012 and as an advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu in New Orleans from 2012 through 2013.[6][7] He then worked in community and neighborhood relations for the Chicago Cubs from 2013 until 2015.[6] In 2015, he was appointed Executive Director of World Sport Chicago, a nonprofit that grew from the Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[8]

On January 8, 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Buckner to the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University for a term expiring January 15, 2023.[9][10]

Buckner has taught at University of Chicago and has been a contributor for The Hill[11][12] and Crain's Chicago Business.[13][14] As of 2023, he also serves as vice president of governmental affairs for Outfront Media.[6]

Illinois House of Representatives (2019-present)

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On January 18, 2019, Buckner was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives to succeed Christian Mitchell, who left to become a deputy governor in the J.B. Pritzker administration.[15][5] In the 2020 election, he was re-elected unopposed to a two-year term.[16] In December 2020, he was elected as chairman of the Illinois House Black Caucus.[17] In 2022, he became Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.[4]

In 2023, Edward Robert McClelland of Chicago magazine wrote that, during the 2021–2022 Illinois General Assembly, Buckner played a role in the passage of some of the "most significant legislation", citing his role in the passage of the SAFE-T Act and legislation which will transform the Chicago Board of Education into an elected school board.[18] In 2023, A.D. Quig of the Chicago Tribune characterized Buckner as an active member of the Illinois House of Representatives, writing that Buckner,

Has jumped into some of Springfield’s hottest issues, serving as one of the lead negotiators on the state’s clean energy package and the SAFE-T Act, sponsoring legislation that requires serialization of so-called ghost-guns and that allows college athletes to be paid for use of their name and likeness, and backing legislation creating an elected school board in Chicago.[6]

At the start of the 103rd General Assembly, incoming-Speaker Chris Welch named Buckner to serve as one of eight Assistant Majority Leaders for the seventy-eight member Democratic caucus.[19] In 2024, he authored legislation to permit multi-family housing in zones previously exclusively zoned for single-family housing in the eight Illinois cities with a population over 100,000.[20]

Committee assignments

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As of July 3, 2022, Representative Buckner is a member of the following Illinois House committees:[21]

  • Executive Committee (HEXC)
  • Higher Education Committee (HHED)
  • Judiciary - Civil Committee (JHUA)
  • Judiciary - Criminal Committee (HJUC)
    • Commercial & Property Subcommittee (HJUA-COMM)
  • Tourism Committee (SHTO)

2023 Chicago mayoral campaign

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See also: 2023 Chicago mayoral election
Kam Buckner mayoral campaign logo

On May 12, 2022, Buckner announced that he would run for mayor of Chicago in the 2023 election.[22][23][24][25][26] He said that his campaign would focus on the issues of "public safety, public education, equitable economic development and sustainable budgeting."[22]

In the initial round of the election, Buckner was defeated, placing seventh of nine candidates with just over 11,000 votes (1.96% of the election's overall vote).

Buckner endorsed Brandon Johnson in the election's runoff.[27]

In September 2023, Buckner's mayoral campaign announcement video titled “Son of Chicago” was nominated for a Regional Emmy award in the category: Outstanding Achievement for Branded Content — Short Form Content. In the video, Buckner’s godson played a younger version of Buckner, who also appeared in the ad and wrote and delivered the voiceover.[28]

Political positions

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Buckner regards himself to be a "pro-business progressive" Democrat.[6][29]

In 2019, Buckner became an early supporter of Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. In 2024, he was elected as a delegate for Joe Biden and promptly endorsed Harris following Biden's withdrawal from the race. Buckner served as a Harris delegate at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and also served as a national surrogate for her campaign.[30]

Education

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In his time in the Illinois General Assembly Buckner has constantly advocated for equitable funding of public schools across Illinois. Buckner authored HB 3917[31] to ensure that Chicago Public Schools receive the proper amount of funding based on the need of the students in the district. The legislation amends the evidence-based funding provisions of the School Code and provides that funds received by the Chicago school district for low-income, English learner, and special education resources must be distributed to every school of the district in the appropriate amount specified under the Essential Elements component of the funding formula.

He has been a proponent of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education in low-income neighborhoods and co-sponsored legislation to create an elected representative school board in Chicago.[32]

Consumer protection

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Buckner is the primary sponsor of House Bill 3920 that would make it illegal in Illinois for financial institutions to mail unsolicited, predatory, high-interest loan checks to consumers.[33] This legislation is similar to the Unsolicited Loan Act of 2018, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Doug Jones (D-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).[34]

Civil liberties

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In July 2019, it came to light that the Chicago Police Department had been running secret background checks on members of the public who signed up to give comments at meetings of the Chicago Police Board.[35] Police scoured lists of public speakers at board meetings and ran their names through department databases to look for arrest records, prison records, outstanding warrants, or sex offender registrations. In some cases, police even look at voter registration records and websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube where speakers had profiles.

Police compiled this data into profiles on each speaker, many of whom were openly critical of the CPD. One woman profiled by the CPD had alleged to the Police Board that she had been sexually assaulted by a CPD officer years previously. Others were relatives of individuals who had been killed in shootings involving CPD officers. Records compiled by the Chicago Tribune show that this practice dated back to 2006 and led to secret background checks of more than 300 citizens—all without the knowledge or consent of those individuals.

In October 2019, Buckner filed HB 3925[36] that would make it illegal for law enforcement departments throughout the state to conduct background checks on citizens giving public comment at open meetings. The legislation would amend the Illinois Open Meetings Act to render such background checks a felony act.

Buckner was the House sponsor of Senate Bill 1599 which was sponsored by Elgie Sims in the Illinois Senate. It amended the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act in relation to the dissemination of criminal record information. It made it an unlawful practice for a person or entity that publishes for profit a person's criminal record information to fail to correct an error in the individual's criminal record information. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law on August 20, 2019, making it Public Act 101-0431.[37]

Buckner has also been an outspoken opponent of Red Light and speed cameras, saying that they fundamentally run afoul of due process, the right to face one's accuser and privacy. He has also spoken out about the influx of these cameras in minority and poverty stricken neighborhoods and House Bill 3927, introduced by Buckner, amends the Illinois Vehicle Code and makes these automated traffic law enforcement systems illegal.[38]

Buckner introduced House Bill 3584 in January 2019. It provides that victim impact statements received by Parole Boards shall be confidential and shall not be discoverable in litigation. It also amended the Open Parole Hearings Act to prevent the release of any material to the inmate, the inmate's attorney, any third party, or any other person that contains any information from the victim who has provided a victim impact statement, including the name and or address of the victim. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law August 9, 2019, making it Public Act 101-0288.[39]

Gun control

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Buckner has been a vocal advocate for comprehensive gun control. He has used his personal history of experiencing and witnessing gun violence from a very young age to demand that mental health, quality of life, education and economic development be factors in any public policy efforts to eradicate gun violence.[40]

Environment

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In 2019, 2023 and 2024 Buckner was rated a 100% by the Illinois Environmental Council.[41]

Protecting women and girls

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In 2019 a Chicago Tribune special report revealed 55 unsolved killings of women in the Chicago area and a great number of missing women.[42] The Illinois State Police came under fire for the massive backlog in processing DNA in murder cases and the FBI was asked to investigate any correlation between the reported occurrences. Buckner took to the floor of the Illinois General Assembly in May 2019 to address the disappearance of 3 Chicago women, 2 of whom were pregnant and later found murdered. In October 2019, Buckner authored and introduced House Bill 3932 which would create the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Act.[43]

Personal life

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Buckner comes from a musical family. His father was the lead singer in a 1970s soul group that was signed to Hugh Hefner's Playboy Records.[44] He is a cousin of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson and the Staples Singers. Buckner was arrested and pled guilty to driving under the influence (DUI) in 2010.[45] In 2019, he was arrested for DUI and pled guilty. He was sentenced to 12 months of conditional discharge.[46]

Buckner is the co-host of a weekly podcast titled famILLy about Fighting Illini football with former Illinois Quarterback Juice Williams; a part of Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala's Beyond the Big Ten network of podcasts.

Buckner is married to Bernardette Salgado-Buckner, and they have a son.[6]

Electoral history

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State representative

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2020 Illinois House of Representatives 26th district Democratic primary[47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kam Buckner (incumbent) 17,378 100.00
Total votes 17,378 100.00
2020 Illinois House of Representatives 26th district general election[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kam Buckner (incumbent) 41,804 100
Write-in 1 0.00
Total votes 41,805 100.00
2022 Illinois House of Representatives 26th district Democratic primary[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kam Buckner (incumbent) 10,531 100.00
Total votes 10,531 100.00
2022 Illinois House of Representatives 26th district general election[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kam Buckner (incumbent) 24,017 100.00
Total votes 24,017 100.00

Mayor

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2023 Chicago mayoral election
Candidate General election[51] Runoff election[52]
Votes % Votes %
Brandon Johnson 122,093 21.63 319,481 52.16
Paul Vallas 185,743 32.90 293,033 47.84
Lori Lightfoot (incumbent) 94,890 16.81
Chuy García 77,222 13.68
Willie Wilson 51,567 9.13
Ja'Mal Green 12,257 2.17
Kam Buckner 11,092 1.96
Sophia King 7,191 1.27
Roderick Sawyer 2,440 0.43
Write-ins 29 0.00
Total 564,524 100.00 612,514 100.00

References

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  1. ^ "Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "PA 97-0006 Legislative District 13" (PDF). May 18, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Kapos, Shia; Carrasco, Maria. "BLACK CAUCUS BACKS BUCKNER — 'PAINFUL' BUDGET CUTS — NEXT COVID CHALLENGE: APATHY". POLITICO. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Kapos, Shia; Olander, Olivia (January 13, 2023). "Getting the House in order". POLITICO. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Gettinger, Aaron (January 18, 2019). "Kam Buckner appointed to fill Mitchell's seat in State House". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Quig, A.D. (January 24, 2023). "Chicago mayoral candidate profile: Kam Buckner". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Kapos, Shelia; Hurst, Adrienne (January 18, 2019). "BURKE's firm fired from mega-projects — CHUY moves in on 14th WARD race — MENDOZA gets a Burke bump". Politico Playbook. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  8. ^ Ecker, Denny (January 6, 2015). "Former Cubs spokesman to lead World Sport Chicago". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Anderson, Tim, ed. (January 23, 2017). "Senate Journal State of Illinois 100th General Assembly, 4th Legislative Day, Tuesday, January 24, 2017" (PDF). Illinois Senate. p. 32. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Rhodes, Dawn; Person, Rick (January 13, 2017). "Rauner to name former CPS chief Paul Vallas to board of troubled Chicago State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Buckner, Kam (January 31, 2018). "Trump's infrastructure plan is a private, expensive bridge to nowhere". The Hill.
  12. ^ Buckner, Kam (December 1, 2018). "Races Dems narrowly lost show party needs to return to Howard Dean's 50 state strategy". The Hill.
  13. ^ Buckner, Kam (November 8, 2016). "Like the Cubs, Chicago can come back from behind". Crain's Chicago Business.
  14. ^ Buckner, Kam (May 10, 2018). "Chicago State students earn more degrees than statistics suggest".
  15. ^ Sfondeles, Tina (January 11, 2019). "State Rep. Christian Mitchell steps down". Chicago Sun-Times. Twitter. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  16. ^ "Kambium Buckner". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  17. ^ Kapos, Shia; Carrasco, Maria (December 16, 2020). "BLACK CAUCUS BACKS BUCKNER — 'PAINFUL' BUDGET CUTS — NEXT COVID CHALLENGE: APATHY". POLITICO. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  18. ^ McClelland, Edward Robert (January 4, 2023). "Mayoral Power Rankings 2023: January 2023 Update". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Welch, Chris (January 12, 2023). "House Majority Leadership for the 103rd General Assembly" (PDF). Letter to John W. Hollman, Clerk of the House. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois House of Representatives. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "Kam Buckner introduces bill that would ban single-family-only zoning in 8 Illinois cities". Chicago Business. 2024.
  21. ^ "Illinois General Assembly - Representative Committees". ilga.gov. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Evans, Maxwell (May 12, 2022). "Kam Buckner, A South Side State Rep, Is Running For Mayor". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Byrne, John; Pratt, Gregory; Gorner, Jeremy (May 12, 2022). "State Rep. Kam Buckner joins race for Chicago mayor: 'A mayor's job is not just to fight for the sake of fighting'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Kapos, Shia (May 12, 2022). "Buckner makes his play for Chicago mayor". POLITICO. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  25. ^ Ramos, Manny (May 13, 2022). "State lawmaker Buckner launches mayoral bid with vow to restore trust, improve schools, reduce crime". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  26. ^ Laurence, Justin (May 12, 2022). "State Rep. Kam Buckner is running for mayor". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  27. ^ "Mayoral Endorsements: Black Alderpeople Back Paul Vallas, State Rep. Kam Buckner Backs Brandon Johnson".
  28. ^ Kapos, Shia (September 21, 2023). "Biden's game-changer for migrants". Illinois Playbook. Politico.
  29. ^ "Kam Buckner presents himself as the 'pro-business progressive' in new tax plan". Crain's Chicago Business. January 26, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  30. ^ https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/22/kamala-harris-campaign-biden-drop-out/harris-2020-campaign-help-00170398
  31. ^ "House Bill 3917 School Code Evidence Based Funding". Illinois General Assembly. October 10, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  32. ^ Smylie, Samantha (March 11, 2019). "Funding education is a priority for Tarver, Buckner". Hyde Park Herald. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  33. ^ "House Bill 3920". Illinois General Assembly. October 17, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  34. ^ "S.3734 - Unsolicited Loan Act of 2018". www.congress.gov. December 10, 2018.
  35. ^ Gorner, Jeremy (July 24, 2019). "Have you spoken at a Chicago Police Board meeting?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  36. ^ Buckner, Kambium (October 23, 2019). "House Bill 3925 101st General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  37. ^ Sims, Elgie (February 15, 2019). "Senate Bill 1599". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  38. ^ Buckner, Kambium; Carroll, Jonathan (October 23, 2019). "House Bill 3927 101st General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  39. ^ Buckner, Kambium (February 15, 2019). "House Bill 3584 101st General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  40. ^ Salvatelli, Lindsey. "Gun licensing overhaul moves forward despite constitutional issues". Daily Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  41. ^ "Rating Group: Illinois Environmental Council 2019 Positions". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  42. ^ Nesbitt-Golden, Jamie (June 7, 2019). "What's Being Done To Solve The Murders Of Black Women On The South And West Sides? 'Don't Dismiss This,' Families Implore". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  43. ^ Buckern, Kambium (October 25, 2019). "House Bill 3932 101st General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  44. ^ "BUCK & THE 16TH MOVEMENT : Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven".
  45. ^ Wall, Craig (May 12, 2022). "State Rep. Kam Buckner jumps into Chicago mayor's race to fight 'pandemic of violence'". ABC 7 Chicago.
  46. ^ Konkol, Mark (April 11, 2022). "After 2nd DUI, Time For Rep. Buckner To Move On From Mayoral Ambitions". Patch.
  47. ^ "Election Results 2020 General Primary". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  48. ^ "Election Results 2020 General Election". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  49. ^ "Election Results 2018 General Primary". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  50. ^ "Election Results 2020 General Election". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  51. ^ "Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the February 28, 2023 Municipal General and Alderperson Elections Held in Each of the Precincts in all the Wards in the City of Chicago" (PDF). Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  52. ^ "Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the Municipal Runoff Election Held in Each of the Precincts in all the Wards in the City of Chicago and for the Supplementary Alderperson Elections Held in Each of the Precincts in Wards 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 21, 24, 29, 30, 36, 43, 45, 46, and 48 in the City of Chicago on April 4, 2023" (PDF). Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
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