Nikki Budzinski | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 13th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Rodney Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 11, 1977 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) |
| Website | House website |
Nicole "Nikki" Jai Budzinski (born March 11, 1977)[1][2] is an American politician and labor union leader. She has served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district since 2023, as a member of the Democratic Party.[3]
In 2021, Budzinski served as chief of staff to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Biden administration.[4][5]
Budzinski was born in Peoria, Illinois. Her grandparents were both union members: Leonard Budzinski, her grandfather, as a painter employed by the Peoria School District, and her grandmother as a teacher in the same district.[6]
Budzinski graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and interned for U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt, U.S. Senator Paul Simon, and Planned Parenthood. After college, she worked for the United Food and Commercial Workers union as national political director in Washington, D.C.[7]
During the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, Budzinski led J. B. Pritzker's exploratory committee and was later a senior advisor to his campaign, focusing on political strategy, messaging and outreach. After Pritzker won, she was named transition director.[8]
When Pritzker became governor on January 14, 2019, Budzinski was appointed senior advisor.[9][10] She simultaneously chaired the Broadband Advisory Council (BAC), a state agency "charged with...expand[ing] broadband access, adoption, and utilization" in Illinois. Budzinski resigned as senior advisor to the governor in March, 2020.[11]. She worked with John Podesta to advise the National Climate Resource Center and was Executive Director for Clean Jobs Illinois.[12]
In February 2021, Budzinski, recommended for the post by Podesta, was appointed chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[13] During her tenure as chief of staff, she helped set up the OMB's Made in America division. On July 16, 2021, Budzinski resigned to return to Illinois, saying she "felt it was a good time to come back [to Illinois]...after getting things off the ground here."[14]
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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois § District 13 |
On August 24, 2021, Budzinski announced her bid for the Democratic nomination for Illinois's 13th congressional district, newly redrawn to favor Democrats.[15][16] She won the primary in June 2022 against David Palmer[17] and the general election in November against the Republican nominee, Regan Deering.[18]
