As a judge in Illinois' 17th Circuit Court, McGraw presided over many cases involving fentanyl. He recalls mothers in his courtroom crying because their children died from using the opioid drug. He blames the current administration's "open border" policies.
"We need comprehensive immigration reform, but the only way that can be meaningful is to secure the borders, to have adequate personnel, complete the wall, and to vet those that are coming across. There's a place for everyone who wants to come to America and play by the rules. But they have zero accountability and lack of enforcement of the laws on the border by the current administration. It just makes a bad situation worse."
McGraw wants voters in the Quad Cities to know he'll fight for the US to become energy independent, bring overseas jobs back, and stop relying on China and other countries for raw materials and manufactured goods.
"Economic strength is not a partisan issue. Energy Independence is not a partisan issue. Decreasing the regulatory burden from Washington on all other industries is not a partisan issue. These are common-sense reforms that need to be made. Balancing our spending, bringing in line with our revenue . We're spending more servicing the debt, or will be, than we spend on our military."
And McGraw says the US will need to ramp up military spending to protect US interests at home and abroad.
The Republican also visited Peoria and Rockford to announcement his candidacy.
