Dr. Carrie Mendoza, an emergency room physician and running mate to gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski, joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to discuss crime, public safety, political hypocrisy, and her motivation for entering the race for lieutenant governor.
Responding to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s claim that riding the CTA from O’Hare at night is safe, Mendoza said ordinary Chicagoans know better. She criticized city and state leaders for dismissing daily violence as “just part of urban life,” comparing their attitude to a hospital ignoring critical safety errors. “Each person who gets assaulted is a human being,” she said. “The soft-on-crime approach treats victims as statistics instead of people.”
Mendoza argued that Chicago’s political establishment—led by Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson—has become detached from the realities faced by working families. She described a “luxury belief” class of well-connected elites who make policy decisions insulated from the consequences. “They don’t take the train, they don’t live with the results of their policies, and they call themselves compassionate while others suffer for it,” she said.
As an ER doctor, Mendoza said she witnesses the real impact of failed leadership every day. She spoke about her opposition to politicized healthcare policies, from pandemic restrictions to gender-transition procedures for minors, saying government interference in medicine is a warning sign of a “sick society.” She emphasized her experience helping craft parental-rights legislation in Texas as an example of the kind of reforms she hopes to bring to Illinois.
Mendoza, who is Jewish, also addressed the recent release of hostages in the Middle East and the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. She credited former President Donald Trump for his diplomatic leadership and expressed disappointment that Governor Pritzker refused to acknowledge Trump’s role. “We teach our kids to respect the presidency even when we disagree,” she said. “But Pritzker can’t even bring himself to thank the president when he deserves it.”
Framing her candidacy as a call for courage and common sense, Mendoza said Illinois needs leaders willing to confront crime, political hypocrisy, and moral weakness. “People just want safe streets, good schools, and leaders who tell the truth,” she said. “It’s time for change in Illinois.”