Kambium Elijah "Kam" Buckner (born May 12, 1985) is an American politician and attorney who serves as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 26th district. The district, located entirely in Chicago, includes neighborhoods such as Bronzeville, Downtown, Gold Coast, and Hyde Park, among others. Buckner is the past chair of the Illinois House Black Caucus and current Assistant Majority Leader for the House Democratic Caucus. In college, he played football for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team as an offensive tackle and defensive lineman.
He was a candidate in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, but lost in the first round.
Early life and education
Buckner was raised on the South Side of Chicago, and attended Morgan Park High School. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team and was a teammate of future NFL players Vontae Davis, Kelvin Hayden, Pierre Thomas, and Rashard Mendenhall. While at the University of Illinois he became a member of Omega Psi Phi. Buckner later earned a J.D. degree from the DePaul University College of Law.
Early career
Buckner began his political career as an aide to Senator Dick Durbin in Washington D.C. from 2007 until 2012 and as an advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu in New Orleans from 2012 through 2013. He then worked in community and neighborhood relations for the Chicago Cubs from 2013 until 2015. In 2015, he was appointed Executive Director of World Sport Chicago, a nonprofit that grew from the Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
On January 8, 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Buckner to the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University for a term expiring January 15, 2023.
Buckner has taught at University of Chicago and has been a contributor for The Hill and Crain's Chicago Business. As of 2023, he also serves as vice president of governmental affairs for Outfront Media.
Illinois House of Representatives (2019-present) On January 18, 2019, Buckner was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives to succeed Christian Mitchell, who left to become a deputy governor in the J.B. Pritzker administration. In the 2020 election, he was re-elected unopposed to a two-year term. In December 2020, he was elected as chairman of the Illinois House Black Caucus. In 2022, he became Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.
In 2023, Edward Robert McClelland of Chicago magazine wrote that, during the 2021–2022 Illinois General Assembly, Buckner played a role in the passage of some of the "most significant legislation", citing his role in the passage of the SAFE-T Act and legislation which will transform the Chicago Board of Education into an elected school board. In 2023, A.D. Quig of the Chicago Tribune characterized Buckner as an active member of the Illinois House of Representatives, writing that Buckner,
Committee assignments
As of July 3, 2022, Representative Buckner is a member of the following Illinois House committees: Commercial & Property Subcommittee (HJUA-COMM) Executive Committee (HEXC) Higher Education Committee (HHED) Judiciary - Civil Committee (JHUA) Judiciary - Criminal Committee )HJUC) Tourism Committee (SHTO)
2023 Chicago mayoral campaign
On May 12, 2022, Buckner announced that he would run for mayor of Chicago in the 2023 election. He said that his campaign would focus on the issues of "public safety, public education, equitable economic development and sustainable budgeting."
In the initial round of the election, Buckner was defeated, placing seventh of nine candidates with just over 11,000 votes (1.96% of the election's overall vote).
Buckner endorsed Brandon Johnson in the election's runoff.
In September of 2023, Buckner's mayoral campaign announcement video titled “Son of Chicago” was nominated for an Emmy award in the category: Outstanding Achievement for Branded Content — Short Form Content. In the video, Buckner’s godson played a younger version of Buckner, who also appeared in the ad and wrote and delivered the voiceover.
Political positions
Buckner regards himself to be a "pro-business progressive" Democrat.