My Bio
I am Andrew Cottingham, and I am a 26 year-old political scientist/consultant. I was raised in the small town of Collinsville, Illinois, which is roughly 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis. I grew up in a family that was predominantly Republican and identified as one for most of my life; however, I crossed over to the Democratic Party in 2018, but my time with them was rather brief.
I have worked in fast food, retail, political campaigns, and am currently self-employed. I have also spent my life volunteering in varying capacities. In my family, we value our community and serving others, which are essential to who I am.
In 2022, I graduated from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana with a BS in Political Science and minors in history, legal studies, and international studies. Having spent time on both sides of the two-party system, and having always been anti-establishment, I have realized that my place is within the independent movement.
“The Democratic Party and Republican Party have been cutting taxes top-down for the wealthy my entire life. My priority is to cut taxes for the poor, working, and middle class first! Additionally, neither party has restrained themselves from increasing the size of government; therefore, my other priority is to shrink it.
To achieve both priorities, my mission will be to cut spending top-down and to cut taxes bottom-up!"
– Andrew Cottingham
My Key Issues
Bottom-Up Tax Cuts
Income Tax: Increase the state income tax standard deduction to $70k – $100k, and continue to increase it over time. This effectively is a bottom-up income tax cut for poor, working, and middle class residents here in Illinois. (Residents can use their own money to cover expenses, save, invest, and to pay off debt!) Debt First Policy: Revenue collected from a person’s taxable income will first be directly applied to the principal of their outstanding debt with the state government until all debts are paid in full. This policy would be applied until the bottom-up income tax cut is implemented, and if a person’s income exceeds the raised standard deduction. Sales Tax: My plan is to eliminate the state sales tax on necessities first. Sales taxes directly impact the poor, working, and middle class the most here in Illinois. Eliminating the 1% grocery tax, which went into effect January 1st, 2026, is a step in the right direction; however, it is not enough. What are necessities? To me, necessities include food, medicine, health & hygiene products, infant products, etc. Property Tax: Cut property taxes bottom-up for poor, working, and middle class residents here in Illinois.
Top-Down Spending Cuts
Freeze State Spending: Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The best path towards a well-balanced budget is not made through increased taxation (raising current taxes or creating new taxes) or by more regulation; instead, it will be made not only by spending ONLY what we have (not a dollar more), but also by reducing how much we spend. That is why I believe freezing state spending will be the first significant step in reversing decades of reckless spending and in lifting the current tax burden off of our residents. Ending Corporate Welfare: Stop subsidizing, bailing out, and cutting taxes top-down for the benefit of corporations, which always come at the expense of small businesses and taxpayers. Illinois Department of Government Efficiency (IL D.O.G.E.): IL D.O.G.E. will streamline in-state processes to make the state government and its services more efficient, effective, accessible, and affordable for our residents. Doing so will also allow us to both lower operating costs and reduce state spending as well.
Overhauling Illinois Elections
Reduce ballot access requirements for independent and third-party candidates for local, state, and federal offices. Extend Petition Gathering Period: Extend the petition window not only for independent and third-party candidates, but also for established party candidates as well. Protect Voters: Amend the Illinois State Constitution to include political affiliation and voting history as protected classes from discrimination. Abolish the Secret Ballot: By abolishing the secret ballot, in addition to protecting voters as mentioned in my Protect Voters policy, not only can we allow thorough audits of our elections to take place, but we can also allow voters to audit their own voting history. Write-In Ballots: Change the current format of our ballots from “multiple choice” to write-in ballots. Proportional Representation (Statewide): Return the State of Illinois to a proportional representation system for our state legislature. Congressional District Method (Electoral College): Amend the Illinois State Constitution to shift the State of Illinois away from using the winner-takes-all system.
Send Me a Message
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!
Campaign Headquarters
314 Sycamore St, Collinsville, IL 62234, USA