North Cook News

With Democrats and Republicans alike decrying the possibility of Donald Trump becoming the Republican nominee for U.S. president, state House District 56 candidate Jillian Bernas spoke with North Cook News about why she thinks his candidacy has energized voters.

While Bernas, herself a Republican, made it clear in a recent op-ed piece published in Crain's that Trump isn't her first choice as the Republican presidential nominee, she sees Trump as someone who has "energized voters."

"I see every election as an opportunity for voters to exercise democracy," Bernas, who was a Carly Fiorina delegate, recently told North Cook News. "This cycle is different because a contested primary this deep into the election cycle has energized voters. For the first time in recent memory, voters in states like Wisconsin, New York and California will have a voice for the GOP nomination. Of course, this is a great opportunity. We have seen an increase in voter turnout, and more people are paying attention and engaged now."

And as many pundits have pointed out -- and as Bernas eludes to -- so far, this election has exhibited voters enthusiastically embracing presidential hopefuls, such as Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and Trump, due to a seemingly growing antiestablishment movement.

"I see families favoring antiestablishment candidates because the status quo isn’t working for us," Bernas said. "Politicians and special interests are making policy decisions based on the next election instead of protecting our interests. With more information available to track legislator performance than ever before, it is becoming clear which politicians are doing the right thing and which are looking out for themselves."

With Illinois having the fifth-highest rate of unemployment at 6.4 percent and the second-highest rate of property taxes at 2.32 percent in the nation, Bernas said she is personally running for public office in order to make a difference.

"Right now in Illinois, Speaker Mike Madigan has been in control of state government for over 40 years," Bernas said. "He and his handpicked legislators have destroyed the state’s economy and opposed reforms like term limits and redistricting that are supported by large majorities of Illinoisans. I am running for state representative to give the people of our community a choice. When I look at Springfield, the corruption, the inefficiency, the waste, I see an opportunity to fix our state. I’m asking the people of our community to participate in this election and to make a choice to send someone new, an outsider, to Springfield to change the status quo."

According to Bernas, she is not alone in her beliefs.

"I see my peers being very sensitive to the state of the economy, especially how it effects job growth, student debt and the cost of buying a home and affording to keep their home," she said. "These hard-working individuals want someone who can grow an economy that provides them with the opportunity to work hard, pay down their debt, buy a home and afford the taxes on that home. They want to see the government taking care of the people that most need it and then getting out of the way to let them succeed. My peers see that the decision made this election cycle will affect their ability to do this for the next eight years."