Meet Montez

From Rockford, for the People

Meet Montez Soliz

I come from a place where community isn’t just a word, it’s a lifeline. It’s a place where people work hard, lift each other up, and keep pushing forward even when the odds are stacked against us. I was born and raised in Rockford, IL, by a single mother who was told she’d never graduate high school because she had me. They said our lives would always be a struggle, that she should give up on her education to raise me. But she refused. She proved them wrong, graduating from high school with me in her arms.

She worked paycheck to paycheck, discredited and underestimated at every turn, yet she never let that stop her. And she refused to let me or my siblings become just another statistic. My mother taught me that our circumstances don’t define our destiny. That lesson stuck, reinforced by my grandfather, a visionary community leader who dedicated his life to opening doors for Black and Brown students across Chicago and beyond. From him, I learned that leadership isn’t about fancy titles or prestige; it’s about responsibility. It’s about showing up for people who have been told their voices don’t matter, and making sure those voices are heard. He taught me to stand up for what’s right, even if it meant standing alone. Those lessons shaped my path.

From Service to Action

At Northern Illinois University, I served as President of Model Illinois Government and Director of Governmental Affairs for SGA and was actively involved in political campaigns. After graduation, I went on to work for two local state representatives in Illinois and later served in the halls of Congress where I managed a Member’s calendar, answered constituent calls, and helped build the network of relationships that connected the district to federal resources and opportunities. It showed me firsthand how much impact good public service can have when it’s rooted in people, not politics. But while I was focused on serving my community, I watched a darker force gaining ground; one that treats power like a game and people like collateral.

Why I am Running,

Across the country, Donald Trump and his allies are busy dismantling our democracy from the inside out. They spread lies, attack civil rights, and turn fear into law. And now, with the passage of his so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” they’re gutting worker protections, giving billionaires another handout, and setting our communities up to fail, all while pretending it’s progress. It’s not. It’s a smokescreen for greed.

And it’s working-class families across Illinois who will bear the brunt of the cost.

And here at home in Illinois? We deserve leaders who will call this out and stand up to these dangerous actions and who will fight back with real solutions. Instead, too many of our current officeholders stay silent on the sidelines, or offer too little, too late, while our rights, our safety, and our future hang in the balance. We are done protecting the status quo. We demand that our voices be heard and our futures be protected. We know what happens when we don’t have a seat at the table; we end up on the menu. Our generation has watched our parents and grandparents struggle with stagnant wages. We’ve watched our classmates endure active shooter drills. We’ve watched the clock tick toward climate catastrophe. We refuse to simply inherit the consequences of our leaders' failures. We are determined to shape what comes next ourselves.

I’m stepping forward and running for Congress because our future and the next generation’s future are on the line.

I will not sit back and let others decide it for us. I’m running because I know in my heart that this is our time. Not a time to wait. Not a time to cross our fingers and hope someone else will act. It’s time to step up and lead. This moment demands more than business as usual. We need leaders who won’t just cast the right votes when it’s easy, but who will fight the good fight every single time. Leaders who don’t flinch from tough battles, but meet them head-on with courage and clarity. I respect the work that’s been done so far, but I know, we all know, that it’s nowhere near enough. We can do more, and we must. IL-17 deserves a representative as bold as the challenges we face.

What I Believe

I believe in a future where people come before profit. Where community is stronger than corporations. Where government shows up for everyone who calls IL-17 home. The challenges we face from unaffordable health care and housing, to the climate crisis, to attacks on fundamental rights are immense. But so is our power to overcome them. Armed with bold ideas, deep empathy, and a grassroots movement at our backs, we can build an America where every family, every farmer, every senior, every veteran, every small business owner, and every young person finally gets the fair shot they deserve. And I know this deep in my bones: there are more of us than there are of them. More people are ready to fight for working families instead of billionaires. More young people are ready to lead instead of waiting for their turn. More rural, suburban, and urban communities are ready to be seen, heard, and respected. This isn’t just a policy outline. It’s a promise, a plan of action, a declaration that we will fight like hell for the future we all deserve, and that at the new table we’re building, no one is going to be left behind. The road ahead won’t be easy; real change never is. But I’m ready for this fight, and I’m asking you to stand with me.

Together, we will secure a better future for IL-17.