Robin has dedicated her life to working in helping professions, using her advocacy skills to improve the lives of those in her community and beyond.

Robin has been a vocal and determined fighter on behalf of Illinois families, with a proven track record of delivering real results. Since coming to Congress, she has worked to promote job creation in the Second District, helping advance jobs bills for working families and hosting annual job fairs that have helped employ thousands of our neighbors. She stood up to the gun lobby, authoring The Kelly Report on Gun Violence in America, and helped organize the Gun Violence Prevention Sit-In in Congress for stronger gun safety laws.? Robin has worked across the aisle to advance common sense health and consumer protection legislation. Through her “Robin’s Reader’s” initiative, she has secured thousands of books for local schools and libraries. Since going to Washington, she has recouped millions of federal dollars for Second District Families.

Robin began her career in public service as the Representative of Illinois. 38^th House District in the General Assembly (where she served from 2002-2007). In 2007, she became the first African American to serve as Chief of Staff to a constitutional officer in the state when she was selected to help lead the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. There, she worked tirelessly to make Illinois a better place to live, work, and raise a family – promoting financial literacy, innovative small business strategies, and working to eradicate food shortage areas. Robin also served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Cook County, managing day-to-day operations and policy implementation for the county.

Robin received her B.A. in psychology and M.A. in counseling from Bradley University in Peoria and earned a Ph.D. in political science from Northern Illinois University. She is an active member of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.

Robin is married to Dr. Nathaniel Horn and has two adult children: Kelly and Ryan and two grandsons.

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I’m proud that my work has won the endorsements of so many remarkable members of our community from President Obama and my colleagues in Congress to community leaders, local pastors and neighborhood activists who are fighting for a better tomorrow.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:

“I share Robin’s passionate advocacy to end gun violence with common-sense solutions because like her, I believe families impacted by gun violence — especially in my home city of Chicago — deserve a vote,” Obama said in a statement reported by the NBC affiliate in Chicago. “I urge you to elect Robin Kelly as your representative in the United States Congress.”

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JAN SCHAKOWSKY:

“I’m endorsing Robin because Congress needs someone who is going to fight for strong gun violence prevention laws, and Robin Kelly is that candidate. Robin has the experience to hit the ground running and the passion to make a difference,”

U.S. CONGRESSMAN DANNY DAVIS:

“Robin Kelly has the kind of pragmatism that you need to get results in Washington, while never compromising her beliefs like many do. If we are going to stop the NRA in their tracks, and make our communities safe again, Robin Kelly is the right woman for the job.”

U.S. CONGRESSMAN BOBBY RUSH:

“Our communities are facing an epidemic of gun violence, and we need more members of Congress who can be trusted to fight for common sense gun control measures. Robin Kelly is a woman of integrity and conviction, and President Obama, Congressman Davis and I need her as our partner in ending gun violence.”

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE:

“Throughout her career, Kelly has been meticulous about separating her campaign activities from her government work. When she ran for state treasurer in 2010, she subtracted from her time sheets any activities that could be considered election-related. In this campaign, she resigned from her job in Cook County to run full time. That’s rare among Illinois politicians. It’s time 2nd District residents, some of whom live in Illinois’ most impoverished communities, have a full-time advocate in Congress. Kelly is best suited for the job.”

THE ILLINOIS OBSERVER:

“Congress needs another voice and another vote that will fight to confront gun violence, to confront the NRA, and to confront its financiers, the gun manufacturers. The NRA and its paymasters have stocked Congress with its apologists. The victims and voters need to even the scale. Gun violence is the issue of time. Robin Kelly is the candidate of our time. We enthusiastically endorse Kelly for Congress.”

I believe that one of the most important obligations elected officials have is to be accountable and accessible to the people they serve. That’s why as your Congresswoman I pledge to run a fully-engaged constituent services office that is responsive to you. My door will always be open.

And when I’m not in Washington, D.C. fighting for you, I’ll be traveling the District meeting with you, hearing your concerns and using them to inform the work I’ll do on your behalf.

I’m calling on you for your support, and I pledge that as your Congresswoman you’ll always be able to call on me for mine.

Access to health care is under unprecedented attack. Congressional Republicans repeatedly tried to replace the Affordable Care Act and Donald Trump has done everything possible to undermine it. Despite their assaults, we’ve held the line and protected health care access for millions.

In Congress, I will continue fighting to protect and expand access to health care. This includes women’s access to all of her health care options.

Improving transportation in the 2nd Congressional District is key to putting our community on the fast track to economic development. And infrastructure improvements are vital to this economic renewal. That’s why I support plans for the South Suburban Airport and the Red Line Expansion to 130th Street as well as the planned construction of the Illiana Expressway.

It’s important to me, however, that these projects be carried out the right way. And that means using homegrown talent to build hometown projects. Quite simply, infrastructure projects in our district should be built by the people they will serve.

I don’t want a replay of the CREATE/Metra Englewood Flyover fiasco in which minority-owned firms were virtually cut out of a multimillion-dollar construction project in their own backyard. Our infrastructure should be built by our hands, from professional services firms in Chicago to small construction firms in the Southland.

As your Congresswoman, I will work to create opportunities for residents and businesses in the 2nd District to participate in infrastructure projects in the district. It’s only right that our residents have a hand in projects that will help shape our future.