Mark Rice

Mark Rice (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 8th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on March 17, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Mark Rice was born in Fort Worth, Texas. His career experience includes being a CEO and corporate board member. Rice has been affiliated with the Jewish Community Center in Chicago and was a founder of the Trevian Youth Football and Basketball organizations.^[1]

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Junaid Ahmed
		Yasmeen Bankole
		Melissa Bean
		Sanjyot Dunung
		Christ Kallas
		Neil Khot
		Kevin Morrison
		Dan Tully
		Ryan Vetticad
	Submit photo	Joseph Wentzel

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Kevin Ake, Jennifer Davis, and Mark Rice are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kevin Ake
	Submit photo	Jennifer Davis
		Mark Rice

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2024

Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)

Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi defeated Mark Rice in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)	57.1	172,920
	Mark Rice (R)	42.9	130,153

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 303,073
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jorge Briseno (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raja Krishnamoorthi	100.0	34,640

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,640
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Mark Rice advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Rice	100.0	24,362

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,362
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Abhijit Patel (R)

Endorsements

To view Rice's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rice in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Mark Rice has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Mark Rice asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Mark Rice, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Mark Rice to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing info@rice4congress.com.

2024

Mark Rice completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rice's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark Rice was born and raised in Texas and have made his home in Illinois the last 35 years, where he raised four kids with his wife Ellen. We built a successful business in Chicago, Illinois, but I am ready to walk away from it, leaving the responsibility of the business to my adult kids, who are the next generation of young leaders creating jobs and opportunities. I intend to focus my time and years ahead to serving our country, and I believe my background in business, and dealing with the economy, is uniquely required during this time in our history as many around me voice concerns of the economic peril we are now facing caused by many bad policies pushed by bad politicians and frankly, corrupt actors who sold out our country to lobbyists and special interests. Mark attended the University of Texas in Austin and has served on different boards in Illinois, including the Jewish Community Center of Chicago, Camp Apache and Project Interchange. He is the passionate founder of Trevian Youth Football in the North Shore, Trevian Small Fry Basketball, where he promotes leadership, sportsmanship, winning attitude, and cultivates a mindset of working hard to achieve goals with the youth involved in his organization. He has so many special memories coach youth, whom today he remains in contact as adults. Mark is the Founder and CEO of Energy CX in Chicago, Illinois.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a political outsider who will focus on being present in the 8th District by hosting regular Town Hall forums and be very Illinois-centric in order to restore the voices of constituents in the newly gerrymandered 8th Congressional District.
My focus will be on reviving the middle class by tackling loudly-voiced struggles, including the tax and spend policies that continue to take money out of their pockets that they need now more than ever to provide for their families and save for retirement. Many folks we have talked with are not making more money in their paychecks since the Biden Administration took over and they have seen another tax, called government created inflation, take a big portion of their paychecks for energy costs, grocery bills and daily living expenses. While the middle class continues to erode here in Illinois, Democrats talk of even more taxes on the horizon in this state and on a federal level and citizens need an advocate for their retirement future.
As a business owner and job creator in Cook County, I am very concerned that the exodus out of Illinois, including by Citadel, Boeing, Rabine Industries, Tyson Foods, Caterpillar, etc,. have hurt many and will hurt more in lost tax revenues. People see those corporations leave and feel compelled now to follow suit. I want Illinois to have good paying jobs, but it's very hard now to convince corporations to locate and stay in Illinois, where crime is up, there is a lot of government corruption (Democrat Speaker Madigan is facing several indictments and will be on trial in Illinois for RICO and Racketeering in Spring 2024), so taxes, less good paying jobs, and corruption have pushed many residents to the brink and want to leave the state.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about bringing common-sense solutions back to the 8th District and Illinois. We have single party rule in Illinois, where the democrat party represents a super majority in the IL general assembly, and in Cook County, Kane and DuPage Counties, which create the 8th congressional district that the democrat party gerrymandered behind closed doors in 2020 without an outside non-bias commission as previously promised by Gov. Pritzker.

So, this district NEEDS new ideas and NEW leadership to help facilitate job growth renewal and stop the hemorrhage of businesses fleeing, I will deliver Illinois-centric leadership vs partisan Chicago machine-based politics and the same old tax and spend policies that are disenfranchising constituents and businesses.

We have time to restore the economic situation if we act now and elect non-political outsiders and innovators like myself, who will work directly with the people and businesses on the verge of leaving, I will be laser focused to fix the lack of confidence constituents have in their government, fix THEIR problems, and will not cater to the lobbyists and special interest groups that currently steer the current Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi in DC, as he ignores the district the last few years that elected him.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Authenticity and honesty. Fake politicians, cultural elitists should not be allowed to run for office.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I always try my best to follow through. If I say I am going to do something, I do my best to get it done. I am also mild tempered and have the ability to speak honestly and effectively with everyone. There are a lot of hot-tempered folks in Congress, and I believe the best way to get things done is to keep emotions on check at all times. There is much to be passionate about today, especially amid the heated political environment. But even so, I insert myself as a voice of reason and offer solutions to solve issues rather than getting into senseless bickering for political expediency or attention. I am willing to do the hard work that needs to be done.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To listen to and serve the people. Period.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

This year marked the 60th anniversary of the sad assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. It made me think about my own connection with this tragic event. I was born in Ft. Worth, Texas and was an infant at the time. My parents had hired a "baby nurse" for me and she lived in our home. She did not have a car so her son would bring her back and forth and occasionally chat with my parents while he waited. On the day of the tragedy my mother went to get a glimpse of the President and Jackie as they slept over in Ft. Worth the night before they went to Dallas. When the news came out that our President was shot, and more unfolded, they realized that my baby nurse was none other than Lee Harvey Oswald's mother. Her son had been in our home. The assassination of President Kennedy often leads me to continue to pray for patriotic and honest leadership like we had in the past, as Kennedy was very much a leader for civil rights, peace through strength, someone who wanted good for the country, advocated for transparency of our government for the people and did not support government corruption. I often think about how the trajectory of our country would be different had he been able to finish his work for the people of America.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Common Sense by Thomas Paine. This is a 47-page pamphlet really, written about 1776 advocating for independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Thomas Paine made the case for freedom, independence, while attacking the economic, the political, the ideological roadblocks that existed from securing it.

"British rule was responsible for nearly every problem in colonial society and that the 1770s crisis could only be resolved by colonial independence." This message is oh so true today, 248 years later!

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

I believe the House of Representatives is supposed to feature elected officials who are the voices of the district that voted for them. However, due to gerrymandering that disenfranchises voters and often caters to political parties, many people feel that those people sent to DC do not represent their best interests as citizens and taxpayers. Many people feel that Congress needs to be fixed because the lobbyists and special interest groups are controlling their officials. Our founders never envisioned congress members to be career politicians and yet here we are with many reps in the House for decades.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The economy, crime and the border. If we can't keep our sovereignty nothing else matters. Everything will fall. We must protect and close our borders to protect Americans. It is a Constitutional duty to protect our citizens.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support Term Limits. I think three-terms (6 years total for a Congress representative) and two terms as Senator should be law. We have a lot of corruption in Washington DC because of career politicians who get in office and then use their lobbyist and special interest fundraising contacts to cater to their needs rather than the American people, whom elected them into office. Term limits legislation was introduced in 2012 by Senator Rand Paul and Senator Ted Cruz, and I was sad to see that Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Mitch McConnell voted against terms limits. But we all know why these career politicians don't want term limits, they are more interested in having a lifelong career in DC.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

The corruption is so bad just looking locally in Chicago, where it is single party rule, and in the state of Illinois general assembly, that we do not think anyone comes to mind that has the honesty, sense of morals and integrity that I would model myself after. However, looking back we do think that Abraham Lincoln does exhibit a lot of good character and leadership skills that did change the trajectory of our country in a positive way. We need more Honest Abes in DC.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

We met a guy in Roselle, Illinois train station named Chris who was evicted from his apartment with his mom after living there for 22 years paying rent with three different landlords. Then he was late on his rent and in 60 days he was evicted and was replaced by a migrant family that was moved in and subsidized by the federal government. He couldn't believe that as a military veteran who served his country, that his own country he served would treat him so badly. He paid taxes for decades and feels that he had nowhere to go, while migrants were being catered to and supported. How is it that our leadership that failed so badly that situations like this exist now. I feel obligated to go to DC to make sure Chris' voice and other American citizens like him finally get their voices heard.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I like a good compromise, but I see that what is going on in DC isn't compromise, it's a lot of backdoor dealing now, where we can directly see it occurring from the corrupt Omnibus Spending bills that have gone through. These bills are destroying the country because of the amount of corruption and favors given to lobbyists and special interest groups using our tax dollars fraudulently and deceptively with little transparency. Nobody is reading all the corrupt pork barrel spending that goes into these big omnibus spending bills, which are completely unconstitutional. However, I know Senator Rand Paul often publishes a yearly book on pork barrel spending for the year, but this gets very little attention by the media so voters are often unaware. This is just in our face corruption, and it has to stop. We must get back to negotiating in the House, single policy, single appropriations bills that are TRANSPARENT! If you want to debate the issue, or bill and make a compromise on a single bill or issue, then we can talk.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

We spent ourselves into bankruptcy and it's intolerable. Pork barrel spending is now a published book of spending atrocities put out by elected officials doing the bidding of their lobbyists and special interest groups and the American people now have no say on the matter. These people are given the power of the purse strings of our tax money for decades and now social security and other things we pay into our whole lives are in jeopardy because the American taxpaying citizen is NOT the priority to serve.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Rabine Industries CEO Gary Rabine in Schaumburg, Ill.,

Rocio Rios Cleveland, Spanish Educator, Hispanic activist and Illinois ambassador for "See You at the Library"
David Young. Kane County Board member
Eric Stare, Elgin Township Trustee
Dundee Township Supervisor Arin Thrower,
Dr. Gorden J. Kinzler M.D, and Army Reserve Colonel

Many More to Come!

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Campaign website

Rice’s campaign website stated the following:

“

In Congress, these will be my priorities

Restore and Strengthen the Middle Class
Harmful government policies and out of control spending are putting an unsustainable burden on the Middle Class, the backbone of the country. Too many hard working Americans are having their savings destroyed by high inflation and high energy costs. The Middle Class could once depend on hard work and sensible decisions to achieve the American Dream. Now, the burden of government is becoming so heavy, working people are unable to buy groceries and save for retirement, losing the American Dream. We must reverse course and this will be a priority of mine in Congress.

Crackdown on Government Waste and Corruption
Members in Congress have participated in insider trading and their special interest, back-room deals have self-enriched many beyond the point of replacement. That’s why I support term limits combined with reforms. Too many use their office for personal financial gain, spreading the wealth to family and friends and giving away billions to enemies foreign and domestic. This has created a buffer of unaccountability and a culture of corruption.

Apply a “Liberty Litmus Test” to Legislation and Policies
Our Constitutional Rights must be protected and we must not allow “policy” as a work-around for legislation passed by the people’s representatives. I will scrutinize every piece of legislation to make sure it does not infringe on our American liberties and rights. Similarly, I’ll fight “government by bureaucracy” where policies are treated as if they take precedence over our God-given rights and freedoms. To do anything less would be to sell out the promises in our Declaration of Independence and to shed the protections brilliantly expressed in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

Safety and Security at Home
In Congress, I will prioritize the safety and security of all Americans, especially those in Illinois’ 8th District. Citizens are having to fight to keep themselves and their families safe. We have elected officials who are not enforcing laws, not securing the border, not fixing the problems, largely caused by them in the first place. They’re instead, preoccupied with silencing our voices, infringing on our rights and wondering where their next vote is coming from. Meanwhile, as the plight of homeless vets and other at-risk communities grow increasingly distant from the minds of this “ruling class.” Tent cities grow and with them, crime, disease, drugs, human trafficking and human suffering, under an unending flow of illegal immigration. Even migrants, suffering in inhumane conditions, know our current politicians have over promised and under delivered. We can and must do better, with new priorities and courageous leadership.

Peace through Strength Around the World
Our current foreign policies are making the world a more dangerous place for America and our allies. Our weakness in Afghanistan contributed to causing the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It also emboldened Iran and its proxy Hamas to attack Israel. Continued weakness puts Taiwan under increased threat from China. The list goes on and all these aggressors are eyeing America as well. America is at its best when America is strong. Strength means a strong military that understands its purpose. It also means energy independence, secure borders and allies who know we have their back and they have ours, including the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel. Strength also means a strong economy with smart foreign trade that is fair to America and to American workers. In Congress, I will be a voice for these policies that literally are matters of life and death and keys to a future that is safe and free.^[2]

”

—Mark Rice’s campaign website (2024)^[3]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Mark Rice campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Illinois District 8	Candidacy Declared primary	$111,699	$24,886
2024*	U.S. House Illinois District 8	Lost general	$281,464	$179,850
Grand total			$393,163	$204,737
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Illinois District 8

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 13, 2023
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Mark Rice for Congress, “Priorities,” accessed February 28, 2024

[show]

Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Duckworth (D)

Dick Durbin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jonathan Jackson (D)

District 2

Robin Kelly (D)

District 3

Delia Ramirez (D)

District 4

Jesus Garcia (D)

District 5

Mike Quigley (D)

District 6

Sean Casten (D)

District 7

Danny Davis (D)

District 8

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)

District 9

Jan Schakowsky (D)

District 10

Brad Schneider (D)

District 11

Bill Foster (D)

District 12

Mike Bost (R)

District 13

Nikki Budzinski (D)

District 14

Lauren Underwood (D)

District 15

Mary Miller (R)

District 16

Darin LaHood (R)

District 17

Eric Sorensen (D)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (3)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 13, 2023

[quotedisclaimer-2] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[3] Mark Rice for Congress, “Priorities,” accessed February 28, 2024

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Mark Rice

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

Campaign website

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

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