Paul Friedman
Republican | Illinois
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Paul Friedman
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary
Race
U.S. Representative, District 9
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, B.A., 1989-1992
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Representative in Congress - Illinois Ninth (9th) District, 2025-
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection Survey in 2025.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Neutral
How the human embryos created through artificial methods are used should be up to the mother and father of those embryos.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
When the mother and her doctor have consulted and determined this to be the best course of action for the mother. If the mother is underaged, their parents should also be involved to some extent.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Agree
Title X grants are meant for family planning services. In some areas of the country, Planned Parenthood is the sole women's healthcare provider (including states where abortion is illegal). The fact that Planned Parenthood services abortions where it is legal should not suffer as an organization where it is the only female health provider. This simply illustrates better the failure of health services in this country.
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Disagree
Abortion-inducing drugs such as mifepristone and misoprostol have other uses and banning these drugs because they are also used in medical abortions is not the appropriate action to take if one's desire is to reduce the number of abortions in this country. Also, the Comstock Act comes from an America that no longer exists; to start enforcing this Act at this time does not seem appropriate to me.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
People who can afford to pay more taxes should do so in order to provide relief for working families.
Agree
I strongly agree with this part: "People who can afford to pay more taxes should do so". Read Mitt Romney's article entitled "Tax the Rich, Like Me".
The government should cut spending in order to reduce the national debt.
Agree
The government should pass a budget. We have not set a budget since 1997, not once this millennium. The biggest expenditures are getting out of control - interest, defense, social security, and medicare/medicaid.
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
First we must modernize our processes. I write software for a living. Most of what I do in my job is collect data from once source, process it, and send it somewhere else. It should be simple to figure out from whence the money comes and where it goes. This will give us two major data points: 1) where the money is coming from and 2) where the money is going. With the 1st data point, we can eliminate many unnecessary requisitions and with the 2nd we can track all wasted money.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Simply that the State is separate from the Church and vice-versa. With regard to policy, all laws must be moral. Legislating morally is not contradictory to a "separation of church and state" but simply acknowledging that our morality arises from family and society.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
B. See my proposal for Medicare Advantage for All on my campaign website.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Agree
It is absolutely reasonable to determine where money in health care goes as long as there is no Personal Identifying Information (PII). In my understanding, nearly 80% of health care expenses go to 20% of the population. Pooling risk is the only way that health insurance works - knowing those pools is a basic data point.
NATIONAL SECURITY
With regard to America's foreign policy, which view most closely resembles yours: A) The United States should intervene whenever freedom is threatened. B) The United States should selectively help countries trying to grow democracy and fight tyranny. C) The United States has become too involved in others' policies and should remain focused on issues regarding our own sovereignty unless in imminent danger. D) The United States should stay out of foreign conflicts completely.
None of the above. None of the statements suggest that the United States should always act in the best interest of the people of the United States of America. No one policy will cover all situations. In each situation, the United States should always act in its best interest as determined by the People and their Representatives.
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. Israel is a strong ally in that region. With a strong U.S./Israeli partnership, I believe that, through the growing Abraham Accords, we can stabilize the region and come to an agreeable solution regarding Palestine.
Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security.
Agree
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. - we are a nation of immigrants. That said, we need to improve the immigration process and handling to ensure that 1) we can handle the number of people attempting to immigrate and 2) that we only allow those people entry who are coming to the U.S. for valid reasons. I prefer the "big wall" with a "wide gate" approach to immigration.
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Disagree
I live in Chicago. The sanctuary city policies are not working for our citizens. I believe a much better approach will work so that the federal government can work with the cities not against them.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Agree
I used to be against the dissolution of the Department of Education, but after reading about much that the Department of Education does, I feel as though we should give most of that control back to the States and Communities. Other U.S. organizations can take care of distributing funding meant for education as well as setting and maintaining federal standards.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Neutral
Foreign governments should be free to fund projects in the United States - they should most definitely not be allowed to dictate how the United States uses those funds.
VALUES
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
In this statement, I read that this transitioning is against the child's will and clearly must be stopped.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Disagree
In the United States it is currently legal for members of the same-sex to marry. If two people love each other and want to marry, God bless them. Rather than restrict the notion of "family" we should promote strong family values and support all people who want to raise a family here in the United States.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I come from an inter-faith marriage - my father was raised Jewish, my mother Christian. I came to an understanding of religion and spirituality in a profoundly personal way. The most important prayer to me comes from Deuteronomy 6:4 "?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????" - it's a simple syllogism - the Lord is God, the Lord is One - that is "God is One". Once you understand that there is no separation between you, me, and God, you must follow Jesus' teaching regarding the Shema in Mark 12:31 "??ap?se?? t?? p??s??? s?? ?? sea?t??" "Love those around you as yourself"
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
All registered voters should be allowed to vote. All people eligible to vote should be registered. Voting is a sacred act in a democracy and should be celebrated.
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Agree
Women should feel comfortable in women's spaces. I cannot imagine anyone disagreeing with this statement.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
The most reliable energy source on Earth is the Sun, without question. At the current moment, solar energy is not the most practical to supply the growing demand for electricity. The best approach is multi-faceted - gas, solar, wind, nuclear, &c.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
Yes, I pled nolo contendre to a misdemeanor in 1998. I greeted a young customer with a kiss while on the telephone with a vendor; she accused me of sexual misconduct and, even though what I did would never be considered a sexual act, much less a criminal act, on my lawyer's advice, I did not contest the allegation.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Lean Conservative
I tend to be socially liberal and economically conservative. Basically I am pragmatic and led by common sense more than ideology; most issues are quite complex and a solid understanding of many views create the best policy.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
as well as offline too
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
To possess a gun in the United States of America, all firearm owners should be able to prove that they are a part of a well regulated Militia. All this means is that the gun owner must prove to be organized, disciplined, and trained. In the past few years, the number of gun deaths in America has surpassed the number of deaths by vehicles. I propose that gun owners meet similar requirements to car owners - training, licensing, and insurance. No restrictions - just common sense.
