Much of the energy, a lot of the passion and most of the headlines in American politics focus on the extreme right and the far left. Armed with sweeping theories, sharp-edged rhetoric and unwavering certainty, progressives and democratic socialists on the left and MAGA loyalists on the right dominate our political discourse.

Their high-decibel proclamations and denunciations help explain why so many Americans are furious about the nation’s politics and depressed about its future.

We need more problem-solving centrists, such as Illinois U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, to get the country back on track.

“The extremes of both parties are one of the biggest challenges the country is facing. Most people are in the middle,” Budzinski told me. “There is a hunger for government that actually works for people. There is a hunger for leaders that focus on practical, common-sense solutions that make life a little less challenging for working people.”

Centrists’ language may not be soaring, and their platforms may not claim to usher in new eras in American economic and political life, but they are working to solve problems and convince constituents that government can take positive steps to help their lives.

Budzinski was born in Peoria and takes pride in her working-class roots. One grandfather was a union painter; her grandmother was a public school teacher. The congresswoman’s career has been molded by organized labor and the Democratic Party. She studied history and political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and then spent a decade working for unions, first for the firefighters and then the United Food and Commercial Workers. She participated in several Democratic presidential campaigns, including Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign in which she was its liaison to labor. She served as an aide to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and was the chief of staff in President Joe Biden’s Office of Budget and Management.

Elected to the House in 2022, Budzinski represents Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, which comedian Stephen Colbert likened to a scorpion’s stinger. It runs across central and southern Illinois in a thin line that extends almost from the Missouri border in the west to the Indiana border in the east. The National Journal magazine describes the district as “artfully gerrymandered” to capture Democratic voters in downstate Illinois. However, it is still seen as one of the increasingly few competitive districts in the country.

Budzinski serves on the House Agriculture and Veterans Affairs committees, both of which tend to focus more on policy than political posturing. She delves into issues including electronic health records for veterans and biofuels. The first bill she introduced in Congress was designed to help workers without college degrees earn higher wages through preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. She drafted the Tools Tax Deduction Act to make it easier for construction workers to afford the equipment their jobs require.

She also participates in congressional groups that reflect her practical bent; she is a member of the caucuses related to the Postal Service, labor, biofuels, rural broadband, technical education, community college, fire service, supply chain and fentanyl prevention.

Budzinski is the vice chair for policy of the New Democratic Coalition, a group of almost 115 House Democrats who describe themselves as center-left problem-solvers promoting economic growth, innovation and fiscal responsibility. They have released dozens of policy proposals related to affordability, health care, immigration, border security, mental health and transportation, among other issues.

She is poised to chair the group next year, taking over for another Illinois Democrat, Rep. Brad Schneider from Highland Park. Budzinski believes the coalition, often referred to as the New Dems, can forge a governing agenda for congressional Democrats with national, rather than just bicoastal, appeal. She has been campaigning for House Democratic candidates, primarily in the Midwest, who share her agenda.

“We need more pragmatic Midwestern voices in Congress,” she said, adding that she believes her group will be the “majority makers” in the next Congress and will take the lead in advancing centrist legislation that demonstrates the Democratic Party’s commitment to American workers.

Budzinski acknowledges Democratic centrists get far less media attention than the smaller, but more vocal, progressive and democratic socialist wing of the party.

“A lot is made of them. But they are a very small group, about four or five,” she said of the democratic socialists.

Nonetheless, the activist base and media are fascinated by the far left of the party. A recent cover story in The Nation, the leading magazine of the left, is titled “The Insurgency We Need.” It argues that “insurgent socialists and progressive firebrands” will revitalize the Democratic Party and already are “remaking American politics and policymaking.”

Budzinski is convinced Democrats must be the party of change by offering concrete policies rather than wish lists of impossible dreams. “We need to develop a vision that focuses on working people with pragmatic solutions that improve their lives. We can’t be a party of the status quo. We need to realize that change is happening,” she said.

Questions abound. Can a party that focuses on practical, often technical, policies capture the attention of an American public that has grown accustomed to conflict and hyperbole? Can thoughtful centrists be heard over the brash and brazen bellowing of the political extremes? Can substance win out over spectacle? Can workhorses prevail over show horses?

The answers to these questions will determine our future.

John T. Shaw is a professor at Marquette University’s Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington, D.C.

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