Biography

Adolfo Mondragon is one of our best and brightest. Raised in our community and educated at our nation’s elite universities, he comes from a new breed of leaders who have the right combination of real world and professional experience to tackle the problems we face in these tough economic times. A man of conviction and integrity, Adolfo will fight against the culture of corruption that has plagued our district for years and restore our faith in government.

 Adolfo Mondragon is the son of Mexican immigrants. He was born and raised in the Back of the Yards, a tough working-class neighborhood that has been home to many ethnic communities. Adolfo is a life-long resident of our district and has lived in Brighton Park for the past 25 years.

 Adolfo Mondragon and his four siblings grew up in a household that valued hard work and education. His parents, who had to drop out of school at an early age, would often tell him that they labored with their backs and hands so that he and his siblings could go to college and learn how to work with their minds. Adolfo took those words to heart and excelled in school, graduating at the top of his class at Seward Elementary and at Curie Metropolitan High School.

Adolfo Mondragon also learned from his parents to value his religious and cultural heritage. He continues today to attend mass at Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, where as a youth he received the sacraments and was an altar boy and where as an adult he was a catechist and a member of the Parish Council. Adolfo, who is fluent in Spanish, is also very proud of his ancestry. For the past five years, he has hosted a weekly radio program dedicated to mariachi music on the University of Chicago’s radio station, WHPK 88.5 f.m.

Adolfo Mondragon left home to study at Yale, humbly following in the footsteps of a long line of great Americans including five U.S. Presidents. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, he returned to Chicago to begin a career working in the public interest. Adolfo’s first job out of college was with Hispanic Housing Development Corporation helping low-income families attain affordable housing. He then worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as the Director of Intake. These two experiences led Adolfo to law school.

Adolfo Mondragon received his Doctor of Law degree from the University of Chicago, where President Barack Obama was his professor and a mentor. After passing the Illinois bar exam, Adolfo worked at the Office of the State Appellate Defender representing indigents on appeal. The advocacy skills and firm grasp of the law that he acquired during those years would later prepare him to teach Criminal Justice at the City Colleges of Chicago and legal research and writing at the DePaul University College of Law.

Currently, Adolfo maintains a private law practice through which he continues to take cases that impact our community. Most notably, Adolfo represented disenfranchised voters from the 25th Ward in federal court, ultimately arguing the case before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Adolfo Mondragon also has an established record of volunteerism in the community. He served on the board of the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (RHAMC) and helped raise awareness and money in the fight against asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). During his tenure on the RHAMC board, Adolfo worked to pass the Smoke Free Chicago ordinance and spoke out in the media against the Fisk and Crawford coal plants that pollute our district.

Adolfo Mondragon is making his second bid for the Illinois State Senate. In 2010, he made a strong political debut by garnering the endorsements of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune over the 10-year incumbent. With only a shoe-string budget, Adolfo Mondragon ran an efficient and intelligent campaign that resonated with many in the district and made the political establishment take notice. Adolfo Mondragon looks to build on his impressive showing in 2010 and attain a victory in 2012 that will finally deliver—as the Chicago Sun-Times put it—the leadership our district deserves.