Yesterday was “opening day” for candidate filing in Illinois, and for the first time in forever we will not see Rodney Davis on the ballot in IL-13. Those of you in IL-15 get to watch him battle it out with Mary Miller to see who can be more ridiculous. Have fun with that.
With the, let’s be honest, seriously gerrymandered federal map in Illinois, IL-13 looks a lot different. While C-U, Decatur, and Springfield have been a part of the district, the new map pulls in the Metro East area, and the demographics have shifted to make it a likely blue district. We will surely have many more words to say about the candidates as the race develops, but for now, here is a snapshot who has thrown their hat in the ring.
Democratic Candidates
- Nikki Budzinksi: A labor activist from Springfield (originally from Peoria) who’s been an advisor to Governor Pritzker and Chief of Staff for Biden’s Office of Management and Budget.
- David Palmer: A retirement planning advisor at Country Financial, lives in Champaign.
- Ellis Taylor: Taylor has not filed for candidacy yet, but announced a run back in January. He describes himself as: “one of the millions of essential workers who had to work in unsafe conditions during this pandemic.”
Republican Candidates
- Regan Deering: From Decatur, president of the board of directors of the Northeast Community Fund, an organization that serves low-income Decatur families.
- Jesse Reising: Also from Decatur, a former prosecuter and now a partner with Kirkland and Ellis law firm.
- Matthew Hausman: Former director of Feeding Our Kids, from Pesotum.
Top photo by Jessica Hammie.