Good evening, everyone. My name is Beto Montaño. I’m a union member — LCLAA, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement — and I’m proud to call Anthony Driver my brother.

But before I get into why we’re here, I want to take a moment to honor our hosts tonight — Jesse Iñiguez and Mayra Hernandez.

Jesse was born and raised right here in Back of the Yards. When he was growing up, there wasn’t a single coffee shop in this neighborhood where people could gather. So he built one. He crowdfunded $17,000 — five dollars, ten dollars at a time — from hundreds of people in this community who believed in him.

And now, in these times when our people are living in fear of ICE raids, Jesse and Mayra have made this place a sanctuary. A safe space. A place of resistance. They hire locally. They give back. They show up for this community every single day.

Jesse and Mayra — thank you for building this. Thank you for holding the line. We see you, and we honor you.

[Lead applause]

Now let me tell you why I’m standing here tonight.

WHY HIM

Anthony Driver is the real deal.

This is a man who grew up in Back of the Yards — and he’s still there. Buying a home down the street from where he was raised. He never left. He stayed and he fought.

As Executive Director of SEIU Illinois — the largest labor council in the Midwest — he helped raise Chicago’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. He passed paid leave for Illinois workers. He put collective bargaining rights into our state constitution.

As President of Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, he gave residents a voice in choosing our Police Superintendent. And he eliminated the CPD gang database — 130,000 people wrongfully listed, including his own father.

Anthony Driver isn’t a politician. He’s an organizer. He’s a fighter. He’s one of us.

And let me tell you who he’s going to represent:

He’s going to represent the Loop. The Near West Side.
Austin. Humboldt Park. Garfield Park. Lawndale. Englewood.
Oak Park. Forest Park. Maywood. Bellwood.
And he’s from Back of the Yards — so you KNOW he’s gonna take care of home.

WHY NOW

A wise man from Minnesota — Paul Wellstone — once said: “We all do better when we all do better.”

Right now, we’re seeing what happens when that principle is under attack.

We’re watching Minnesota. We’re watching families torn apart. We’re watching an oppressive assault on our civil liberties and human rights by ICE under this administration.

We stand in solidarity with Minnesota. We stand in solidarity with workers. We stand in solidarity with all people of good conscience.

Chicago is a union town. The labor movement was built here. And it’s time — it is PAST time — that we send one of our own to Washington.

Because all the wealth of the 1% comes from us. From our labor. From our sacrifice. And it’s time they respect that.

WHY YOU

Now let me talk about the most important people in this room: You.

You showed up. And that matters more than you know.

The folks in power have money. Unlimited money. But you know what they don’t have? Us. They don’t have people who show up because they believe in something.

But let’s keep it real.

We’re gonna win when we put in the work. Because winners do the work.

And here’s the work: We’ve got 39 days until the primary on March 17th. Early voting started yesterday.

[Pause — look around]

[Pause]

[Pause]

[Let them cheer]

THAT’S what I’m talking about.

Austin — this is YOUR race.
Oak Park — we need you.
Garfield Park, Maywood, Bellwood — show up and show OUT.

CALL TO ACTION

Give what you can tonight. But don’t stop there.

Volunteer. Knock on doors. Talk to your people. Be loud. Be proud. Be relentless — from now until March 17th and beyond.

Because there is no greater act of love than to lay down your own interest and put your body on the line. Anthony has done that his whole life. Now it’s our turn to do it for him.