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United States House of Representatives
Joe McGraw
U.S. Representative IL-17 (2026 R Candidate · 2024 nominee · retired Winnebago Co judge)
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
47
/ 100
F
Raw: 34 of 72 dynamic max
· 36 of 50 answered
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
18/ 60
🇺🇸 America First
16/ 40
National Rank
#4,087 of 8,966 · top 45.6% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
💡 U.S. Capitol switchboard — ask for Representative Joe McGraw.
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
March 17, 2026
Primary · Seat up at next election
— until
Registration deadline: 2026-10-06
Early voting: 2026-09-24 – 2026-11-02
Elections office: (217) 782-4141
Voter status: Check registration
State elections site: Illinois State Board of Elections
Official Profile
Retired Winnebago County judge. 2024 R nominee against Sorensen (lost narrowly). Running again 2026.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
FALSE (0)
1 claim
Supports the Dobbs v. Jackson decision returning abortion regulation to states but frames abortion as a 'states' rights' question — not asserting federal life-at-conception personhood — stopping short of the rubric's personhood standard.
- pantagraph.comUnclassified
Candidate has voted for or actively advocates abortion abolition (not merely restrictions)
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
TRUE (+2)
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
FALSE (0)
Candidate rejects transgender ideology and affirms biological sex (male/female) as immutable and God-given
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in public policy, schools, military, and corporate-government partnerships
Not yet verified
Candidate supports universal school choice, homeschool freedom, and opposes compulsory public-school attendance
Not yet verified
Candidate supports parental notification and consent on all medical, mental-health, and gender-related interventions for minors
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes CRT, SOGI, "comprehensive sex ed," and gender-ideology curricula in K-12 public schools
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports age-verification on pornographic content and criminal penalties for sexualized content marketed to minors
Not yet verified
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes compelled speech against Christian conviction (pronoun mandates, gospel-proclamation hate-speech laws)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports public-square Christian symbols, prayer in public bodies, and Sabbath/Sunday closure protections
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays, curricula, or holidays in public institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and supports cash and decentralized crypto as legal tender
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes deficit spending and supports a balanced-budget constitutional amendment
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Stated that the 'best way to increase revenue is to lower taxes,' arguing that tax cuts paired with cutting waste and fraud are the route to federal deficit reduction — aligning with the rubric's preference for limited government and supply-side fiscal discipline over tax-and-spend approaches.
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes WEF/ESG/Davos economic capture and supports anti-trust action against monopolistic financial cartels
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports hand-counted paper ballots and opposes electronic voting machines
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports photo voter ID with citizenship verification
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes private election funding ("Zuckerbucks") and foreign-government election interference
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Made completing the southern border wall a central campaign promise in both his 2024 and 2026 runs for IL-17: called for 'a completed border wall' and expanded Border Patrol to end illegal crossings — a direct endorsement of the physical barrier and enforcement posture the rubric supports.
Candidate supports mandatory deportation of all illegal aliens, including those who entered as minors
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Campaigned on tightening immigration enforcement, arguing that illegal migrants have become 'a drain on social services, health care, and schools,' and calling for strict border enforcement measures.
- qctimes.comUnclassified
- pantagraph.comUnclassified
Candidate opposes sanctuary city/state policies and supports federal preemption against them
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes red-flag laws, magazine limits, "assault weapons" bans, and gun registries
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports Article I congressional war-powers requirement before any U.S. military action
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports immediate withdrawal from forever wars and repeal of standing AUMFs
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes foreign aid to nations hostile to U.S. interests or actively persecuting Christians
FALSE (0)
Candidate has never accepted donations from foreign-backed lobbies (e.g., AIPAC) or foreign-linked PACs
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes U.S. participation in WHO, U.N. governance overreach, NATO expansion, and supranational governance
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes pharmaceutical mandates of any kind (COVID, childhood, employer-required) and supports informed consent
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports repeal of pharma liability shields (1986 NCVIA, PREP Act) and restoration of tort accountability
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes Big Ag consolidation (Bayer/Monsanto/Cargill) and supports anti-trust action against agricultural cartels
FALSE (0)
Candidate supports raw-milk freedom, small-farm protections, and opposes USDA / EPA overreach against family farms
Not yet verified
Candidate supports defense-contractor accountability, completion of Pentagon audits, and ending revolving-door appointments
FALSE (0)
Sources & Evidence
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
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