We interviewed Kevin Ryan, Marine veteran, public school teacher, and candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, aboard the campaign bus he drives across the state. The bus — wrapped in imagery honoring high-impact American activists and community leaders — provides a visible expression of the reform tradition he situates himself within.

Our discussion moved beyond biography and into policy. We examined his case for challenging money in politics, the mechanics of grassroots mobilization, and the practical constraints that shape legislative outcomes. The conversation also explored how reform-oriented campaigns translate symbolic energy into institutional leverage.

Rather than treating this as a campaign profile, we approached it as a policy discussion: what does structural reform require, and how can a candidate operating within existing political institutions advance it?

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