BiographyPaul Nolley is a Democrat from Rockford running for U.S. House in Illinois' 16th Congressional District. Born in Rockford to working-class parents, he worked from age 15 as a cook, cashier, cleaner, and farmhand before attending Illinois State University. He is executive director of Project First Rate, which backs blue-collar apprenticeship programs, and lives with his wife Andrea, a special education teacher, and their two children.