On the Issues

Quality Healthcare

We must expand additional healthcare services provided by the state for uninsured families, and increase access to community clinics for constituents. 

Mental Health is Equally Important
as Physical Health

We MUST prioritize the mental well-being of our citizens with the same importance as our physical health.

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Food is Medicine

I have and will continue to be your “Farmer Dave.”  I will ensure the 20th District and the State of Illinois will continue to have access to fresh and healthy food options.

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Food is Medicine

I have and will continue to be your “Farmer Dave.”  I will ensure the 20th District and the State of Illinois will continue to have access to fresh and healthy food options.

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Our Safer Community Starts Here.

We need more responsible gun laws, community partnerships and focus on improving mental health.

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Women’s Rights are Human Rights.

I’ve written an Illinois Constitutional Amendment protecting Women’s
Reproductive Freedoms.

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Women’s Rights are Human Rights.

I’ve written an Illinois Constitutional Amendment protecting Women’s Reproductive Freedoms.

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Doing More for First Responders

I firmly believe we need to do more for our first responders: modern rigs, better healthcare, and improved pensions. They do so much to help keep our communities safe — we need to give them more!

Quality Healthcare

Quality Healthcare

We must expand additional healthcare services provided by the state for uninsured families, and increase access to community clinics for constituents.  

Dr. Dave’s dedication to social impact extends to the legislative arena. He authored and successfully passed the bipartisan Mychal Moulty Jr. Funeral & Burial Assistance Act that went into effect July 1, 2023. This law immediately provides $10,000 for funerals and burials of children who are victims of gun violence, easing the burden on grieving families. 

Dr. Dave’s Hunger Act would create 100,000,000 new meals when farmers donate directly to local food banks. His 2024 Illinois Legislative Session plans are extensive with 5 unique pieces of legislation in the areas of addressing food waste, creating new jobs, increasing access to health care and tackling climate change.

Your Accessible State Senator

When elected, we will create 7 Illinois Senate District 20 offices residing in the communities.

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Your Accessible State Senator

When elected, we will create 7 Illinois Senate District 20 offices residing in the communities.

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Economic Prosperity
= Healthier Life

Those who experience wealth inequality will not be alleviated until we focus our resources on wage growth, tax breaks to the middle and lower class and early childhood education.

We Are All Immigrants

Our city and state will be defined by how we treat our most vulnerable populations. We must do our part as good neighbors to come to the aid of those who’ve endured many hardships to seek asylum here in Chicago.

We Are All Immigrants

Our city and state will be defined by how we treat our most vulnerable populations. We must do our part as good neighbors to come to the aid of those who’ve endured many hardships to seek asylum here in Chicago.

YOUR ACCESSIBLE STATE SENATOR.

Too many elective officials are unreachable by their constituents, NOT US.

CREATION AND HIRING OF 7 NEW ILLINOIS SENATE DISTRICT 20 OFFICES:

Elected officials should always be accessible to those they represent. Too many elected officials and their
offices are difficult to reach. They fail to respond to important and urgent requests by their constituents.

Not us.

When we are elected, we will create 7 Illinois Senate District 20 offices residing in the communities of the
District. More importantly, ALL District offices will be staffed by members of the local community.

For example, if you live in Belmont-Craigan and need assistance with SNAP benefits, why should someone
need to travel to Albany Park for an in-person meeting with our offices? If you are having difficulties contacting your local elected official, we want to be that office you can ALWAYS rely upon to contact and get results.

Our staff will be always PEOPLE FIRST in ALL 7 of our new offices.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.

As a medical doctor, a woman’s right to full reproductive freedom is essential.

Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom

As a practicing physician, a woman’s right to full reproductive freedom is essential. The doctor’s examination room is already small enough, we do NOT need our government to continue to meddle in important healthcare decisions that are fundamental to women’s rights.

Illinois is a safe haven for women and families. Access to inclusive healthcare is and always has been a priority in my career. Our state has the unique opportunity to make reproductive freedom part of the Illinois Constitution.

I have written Article I, Section 26-Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom to be put forth in the 104th Illinois General Assembly and placed on the November 2024 ballot with the goal of placement into the Illinois Constitution.

We have witnessed the systematic destruction of Roe v. Wade in the United States since the Supreme Court
Dobbs ruling.

I will ALWAYS be a fierce advocate for a woman’s right to choose and continue Illinois’ support of reproductive freedom.

HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT.

As the ONLY practicing physician in the Illinois Senate I will be:

1) The DEFENDER of Medicaid and Medicare:

The social support safety net that our federal and state government provides is currently in jeopardy. 68,000 Illinoisans who participate in the Affordable Care Act would see their premiums go up by an average of $6,500. At least 2 million people in Illinois with pre-existing conditions could lose critical protections and may be denied coverage or charged more in the health insurance marketplace. Furthermore, almost 2.3 million Illinoisians who utilize Medicaid could lose their coverage altogether.

In the Illinois State Senate I will champion Medicaid and Medicare benefits. I will ALWAYS work to expand these benefits.

2) Create Free Medical Clinics for the Uninsured and Underinsured:

I OPERATE MY FREE LUNG CLINIC IN THE 20th DISTRICT.

All of my patients are uninsured and receive free medications (like inhalers for asthma), free labs and services. The outcomes of our patients have been tremendous. We need to create MORE FREE CLINICS. We can encourage physicians and nurses to work in our new clinics by forgiving their expensive medical and nursing school debt.

Starting a community clinic can be expensive and bureaucratic. I will always be an advocate in the Illinois Legislature for increasing health care opportunities for the most disenfranchised. I will work to expand our community social services and networks to provide optimal and safe care regardless of income.

3) Lower Prescription Costs:

I PROVIDE FREE MEDICATIONS TO MY PATIENTS.

We can lower the spiraling costs of prescription medications by pricing transparency. We must focus our efforts upon the Illinois Prescription Drug Pricing Act by passing legislation to require Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and drug manufacturers to expand the list of prescription drugs for price regulation, disclose additional information on drug prices and rebates, and cover medication for the uninsured or underinsured to create healthy communities.

OUR SAFER COMMUNITY STARTS HERE.

I’m a husband and father of 2 young children. We must cultivate meaningful change within our communities so that we may enjoy peace for ourselves, our families, and our children.

1) Responsible Gun Laws:

WE NEED MORE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.

Illinois has a long history of gun violence, which has led to the loss of countless lives, devastating families and communities. The weapons of war designed for military combat have been used in countless acts of violence in Illinois. As a former Attending Physician in the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital System, I am familiar with the injuries that weapons of war can cause.

As your State Senator, I will expand the ban on the sales of assault weapons to the general public and cre- ate stricter background checks.

2) Mental Health:

MENTAL HEALTH IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH.

We must engage Illinois youth and utilize trauma-informed care to address the root causes of crime. We need community activists, social workers, funeral directors and clergy to work together to build social safety networks in our hardest hit communities. I will provide improved wrap-around services including counseling (online access), after-school programs, fresh food systems and free clinics.

We must support our law enforcement and criminal justice advocates by ensuring accountability and trans- parency. We have to improve our murder clearance rate in the 20th District, and improve the arrest and prosecution in violent cases through incorporation of modern technological advances.

FOOD IS MEDICINE.

I HAVE FED OVER 600,000 PEOPLE IN CHICAGO AND ILLINOIS.

As a farmer, I have already provided healthy food options to the 20th District.

1) Lack of Access to Nutritious Food

Almost 1,300,000 million Illinoisians are hungry, and over 400,000 are children. The pains of hunger ache the very soul of our district, city and state.

As Founder of Nayak Farms, I am committed to providing fresh, high-quality, and nutritious produce to feed the hungry. I have created the Nayak Farms Hunger Initiative, alongside infrastructure, logistics and operations to successfully bring our sweet corn and green beans to over 600,000 people in city and our state. By having healthy and nutritious food in your diet, it reduces most illnesses and diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Our district has some of the largest food deserts in the state.

I wrote the Illinois Farmers Who Fight Hunger Act. This Act incentivizes Illinois Farmers through tax credits (up to $2,000) to donate yield or equivalent cash to the Illinois Food Banks under Feeding Illinois and/or Historically Underserved Farmers. If just 10% of Illinois Farmers participate, over 100,000,000 of NEW meals will be available to food-insecure Illinoisians.

2) SNAP/School Lunch

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), is the most important government anti-hunger program. In 2022, $5.7 billion SNAP benefits were provided to people in Illinois to help purchase their food.

On March 1, 2023, emergency SNAP allotments ended, further exacerbating the hunger crisis in Illinois. The average national household experienced a monthly decrease in SNAP benefits of about $225 per household, and a $300 monthly decrease in households with children. The cessation of emergency SNAP benefits has caused an increase in hunger of 10% in the United States.

I will champion increasing SNAP benefits to those individuals and families who are in need of nutritional assistance. Moreover, I will work to expand SNAP to additional food systems, such as farmers markets, and bring fresh food into food deserts. Lastly, we must ensure that all Illinois students have access to school breakfasts and lunches year round.

3) Food Rescue

Food waste and inefficiency contributes to America’s hunger crisis. In the United States, we discard 40% of usable food which is wasteful, contributes to hunger, and also leads to the proliferation of methane into the atmosphere.

As State Senator, I will create the Illinois Food Rescue Authority, a business-to-business logistical platform for delivering discarded, but otherwise perfectly usable food to food banks, food pantries, and charities.