Christian L. Mitchell (born 1986 or 1987) is an American politician and university official. He represented the 26th district in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019, and served as Deputy Governor in J.B. Pritzker's administration from 2019 to 2023. He also served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois during the 2018 election cycle, becoming the first African-American to hold the position. In 2023, he became the Vice President for Civic Engagement at the University of Chicago.
On July 1, 2025, Governor Pritzker announced that Mitchell would be his running mate in the 2026 election after incumbent Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton announced she would instead run for US Senate.
Background, education, and early career Mitchell was raised by his mother, a retired nurse, and his grandfather, who was a union steelworker and an elder at his church in Maywood. Mitchell cites his mother's dedication and sacrifice, as well as his grandfather's service, as his inspiration for becoming a public servant.
Mitchell attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 2008 with a BA in public policy. While a student, he was a member of the university's Organization of Black Students. He later earned a JD at Loyola University in 2019.
Mitchell began his career as a faith-based community organizer with Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL). His work with SOUL focused on education funding reform, affordable housing, and economic empowerment for low-income communities. In 2009, Mitchell drafted legislation that became the Urban Weatherization Initiative, a $425 million program designed to put people to work weatherproofing houses in Chicago.
In 2010, Mitchell worked as a deputy field director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's reelection campaign and managed Will Burns' successful campaign for alderman of the 4th Ward. He was a senior advisor to Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle from May 2011 to November 2011, serving as Director of Outreach and External Relations. Preckwinkle credits Mitchell with keeping the Todd Stroger sales tax repeal from unravelling in the Cook County budgeting process. Mitchell was named to Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel's transition team in March 2011.
In 2012, Mitchell acted as the Midwest director of Paid Media and Polling for President Barack Obama's reelection campaign. He worked as a senior vice president at The Strategy Group from 2014 to 2017, executing strategic communications plans for Democratic candidates across the United States. Christian has consulted for State Assembly and Congressional races across the country and was a senior advisor on Senator Tammy Duckworth's successful 2016 campaign and Governor J.B. Pritzker's successful 2018 campaign.
Illinois state representative Mitchell was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in November 2012 and was sworn into office in January 2013. He was the youngest member of the 98th General Assembly. Mitchell was reelected to his seat in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
As a legislator, Mitchell was a leader in the fight to reform Illinois' broken education funding formula. He worked diligently to pass the bill that increased resources for poor schools across the state by billions of dollars. In his capacity as Chairman of the Committee on Economic Opportunity, Mitchell fought to increase funding and access to state colleges. Mitchell also worked tirelessly to reform Illinois' justice system: passing a law requiring background checks for private handgun sales, playing an important role in passing bills to reform the broken relationship between our communities and police, and leading the fight to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. He is a vocal advocate for a woman's right to choose and affordable healthcare for everyone.
Committees served Chairmanships and vice-chairmanships: House Committee on Economic Opportunity (chairperson) House Committee on Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and IT (Vice-chairperson)
Committee assignments: Appropriations – Higher Education Committee Judiciary – Criminal Committee State Government Administration Committee
Subcommittee assignments: Appropriations – Cost Analysis Subcommittee Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and IT – Distributed Ledgers and Cryptocurrency Subcommittee Judiciary – Criminal Administration and Enforcement Subcommittee Judiciary – Firearms and Firearm Safety Subcommittee Judiciary – Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Subcommittee
Caucus memberships Black Caucus
Votes, legislation, and policy stances Mitchell was one of the most progressive members of the Illinois House of Representatives. On March 3, 2014, the Chicago Tribune described Mitchell as "just what his constituents need: a smart, hardworking lawmaker whose first priority is to look out for them." He is known as someone who shows a deep understanding of Illinois' problems as well as a lawmaker who proposes a wide range of solutions.
Education As a State Representative, Mitchell consistently supported legislation to direct more state funds to K-12 schools. In the 99th General Assembly, he proposed the Fund Education First Act as a long-term solution to restore education funding in Illinois. The Fund Education First Act is projected to increase investment in Chicago Public Schools by $200 million without increasing local property taxes. In the long term, the proposed legislation will generate an additional $1 billion in funding to schools statewide. On Wednesday, October 30, 2013, Mitchell told Dartesia Pitts on CAN TV's Political Forum that he views "education as the key to opportunity, as a ladder out of poverty, as the thing that got me to the place where I am".
In his capacity as Chairman of the Committee on Economic Opportunity, Mitchell toured the state's universities during the 2015–17 budget impasse, bringing attention to the economic importance of higher education to communities all across the state. Mitchell highlighted the ability of colleges and universities to serve as anchor institutions – attracting new residents, providing employees for local businesses, and supporting local shops and restaurants. "The impacts are real and they are direct on the lives of real people," he said.
Mitchell consistently advocated increased state funding for schools, and particularly districts with large numbers of low-income students. He was a strong supporter of education funding reforms passed by the General Assembly in 2017, which increased state funding for education by $350 million – including $60 million for Chicago Public Schools. However, Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed the bill, and demanded $75 million in tax credits for private schools in exchange for his signature. Mitchell continued to advocate for increased school funding, but voted against the amended bill proposed by Gov. Rauner, denouncing the tax credits as vouchers by another name. Mitchell said: "[The bill] incentivizes the wealthiest citizens – instead of paying their fair share of taxes to fund public education – to take a tax break that will pull resources out of our public schools, and away from the funds that invest in infrastructure, human services, and property tax relief…public education is too important a concept to be traded away for the money that low income school children around the state deserve."
Mitchell supported legislation to establish an elected Chicago Board of Education. Currently the School Board is appointed by the Mayor of Chicago.
In 2018, Mitchell sponsored SB 2892, a bill to raise the minimum salary for teachers in Illinois – set at $9,000 since 1980. Mitchell's bill would have raised the minimum salary for teachers to $32,076 the following year, and $40,000 by 2022. The Illinois General Assembly passed Mitchell's bill in May 2018, with bipartisan support. On August 26, 2018, Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed the bill.
Gun control In 2014, Mitchell called for the establishment of a Gun Trafficking Control Task Force to stop illegal guns from reaching criminals. He introduced legislation that increases regulations on gun dealerships to quell the spread of illegal guns, such as 24/7 video surveillance, mandatory background checks on employees working at gun dealerships, detailed record keeping, and zoning restrictions. Representative Mitchell also proposed legislation calling for a 2% tax on the sale of ammunition to fund trauma centers in Illinois.
In 2018, Mitchell voted for HB 1467, a measure to ban bump stocks in Illinois. The measure was introduced after the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting, which was carried out by a lone gunman who used bump stocks to convert semi-automatic rifles into automatic rifles.
Jobs, employment, taxes, economy Mitchell is vehemently opposed to Right to Work policies. In a speech from the Illinois House floor on May 14, 2015, he opposed an initiative to create local employment empowerment zones, stating "without unions, we wouldn't have an African American middle class. Because the African-American middle class in places like Chatham and Bronzeville was built on the backs of firefighters and teachers and unions". He supported the Fair Arbitration Bill (SB 1229), which would have allowed the State to reach a renewed collective bargaining agreement with its unionized employees through arbitration rather than a lockout or strike.
Mitchell was also the chief co-sponsor of HB 2607, the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill – a bill that will reduce carbon pollution and create 32,000 new jobs in Illinois.
Representative Mitchell supported numerous initiatives to relieve taxes on middle-class families in Illinois. He advocated amending the constitution to create a graduated state income tax, in which lower earners pay a lower rate and higher earners pay a higher rate. He also supported expanding the State Earned Income Tax Credit to reduce the tax burden on lower and middle income families.
In February 2015, Mitchell introduced a bill to guarantee that all workers in Illinois have the right to paid sick time. He also co-sponsored legislation that became law to expand access to SNAP benefits for families that include an elderly, disabled, or blind person.
In May 2018, Mitchell supported a bipartisan state budget. The state budget, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner, avoided property tax increases – a major selling point for Mitchell.
Environment In the legislature, Mitchell championed measures to preserve the environment and move Illinois towards a clean energy economy.
Mitchell was a chief co-sponsor of the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill, which will create an estimated 32,000 new jobs; lower electricity costs; and reduce the state's carbon footprint. Mitchell was a vocal supporter of a stronger Renewable Portfolio Standard, which steered a larger share of state investments to sustainable energy sources.
In 2018, Mitchell was the Chief House Sponsor of SB 3156, a bill to increase transparency around Illinois Environmental Protection Agency investigations.
In 2018, Mitchell's record on the environment earned a 100% rating from the Illinois Environmental Council. This marked the fifth time Mitchell received a 100% rating from the IEC.
Child care Mitchell expressed his view that state sponsored child care empowers single parents to provide for their families. In 2015, in response to Governor Rauner's drastic reduction of Illinois' child care program, Mitchell became the chief sponsor of legislation to expand state-subsidized child care to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. This legislation expands access to the program for thousands of working families, particularly single parents and is a bill that Mitchell has carried since he was sworn into the General Assembly.