Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2018

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Illinois' 13th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 4, 2017
Primary: March 20, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Rodney Davis (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Illinois
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+3
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Illinois' 13th Congressional District
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Illinois elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018


Incumbent Rodney Davis (R) defeated Betsy Londrigan (D) in the 2018 general election for Illinois' 13th Congressional District.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

Illinois' 13th District was one of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's targets in 2018.[1] Davis was first elected in 2012, winning by a 0.3-point margin over his Democratic opponent. He was re-elected with over 58 percent of the vote in both 2014 and 2016.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 13

Incumbent Rodney Davis defeated Betsy Londrigan in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 13 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rodney Davis
Rodney Davis (R)
 
50.4
 
136,516
Image of Betsy Londrigan
Betsy Londrigan (D) Candidate Connection
 
49.6
 
134,458
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
7

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 270,981
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 13

Betsy Londrigan defeated Erik Jones, David Gill, Jonathan Ebel, and Angel Sides in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 13 on March 20, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Betsy Londrigan
Betsy Londrigan Candidate Connection
 
45.7
 
24,515
Image of Erik Jones
Erik Jones
 
22.4
 
12,024
Image of David Gill
David Gill
 
14.4
 
7,757
Image of Jonathan Ebel
Jonathan Ebel
 
13.3
 
7,167
Image of Angel Sides
Angel Sides
 
4.2
 
2,237

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 53,700
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 13

Incumbent Rodney Davis advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 13 on March 20, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rodney Davis
Rodney Davis
 
100.0
 
44,512

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 44,512
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Rodney Davis, U.S. representative
Rodney Davis1.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: U.S. representative for Illinois' 13th Congressional District (Assumed office: 2013)

Biography: Davis worked at a McDonald's operated by his parents before attending college. He received a B.A. in political science from Millikin University. He served as a staff assistant for the Illinois secretary of state from 1992 to 1996, then as projects director for Rep. John Shimkus (R) from 1997 to 2012. Davis also served as executive director of the Illinois Republican Party in 2011.

Key messages
  • Davis emphasized what he saw as his accomplishments in office, including cutting taxes, reducing Obama-era regulations, increasing access to job training programs, and expanding research for cancer and ALS.[2][3]
  • Davis discussed healthcare policy in conjunction with the story of his wife, who had cancer. She appeared in a campaign ad saying that she had a pre-existing condition and that her husband wanted to improve healthcare for everyone. Davis argued that Obamacare limited choice and drove costs up, and he said that healthcare legislation he supported in the House in 2017 would have lowered costs and increased coverage.[3][2]




Betsy Londrigan, co-founder of Women Rising
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.png

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Londrigan received a B.A. in rhetoric and composition and a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[4] Her professional experience includes working for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and Teach for America, where she taught 7th and 8th grades. Londrigan also served as a staffer for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). She co-founded Women Rising, an organization with the goal of electing female candidates to public office.

Key messages
  • Londrigan referred to the story of her son, who experienced a medical emergency, when discussing healthcare. She said she wanted to ensure every family could pay their medical bills with good insurance as she was able to.[5][6]
  • Londrigan criticized Davis for voting for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and for legislation to repeal Obamacare. She said he threatened protections for people with pre-existing conditions and endangered Medicare and Social Security funding. Londrigan said she would work for coverage protections for those with pre-existing conditions and to protect Medicare and Social Security.[5][6]
  • Londrigan described Davis as a career politician.[7][6]



Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Illinois' 12th Congressional District election, 2018, Davis (R) v. Londrigan (D)
Poll Rodney Davis (R) Betsy Londrigan (D)UndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
The New York Times Upshot/Siena College
October 21-25, 2018		 46%41%13%+/-4.6501
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Rodney Davis Republican Party $3,638,923 $4,016,147 $19,576 As of December 31, 2018
Betsy Londrigan Democratic Party $4,258,544 $4,257,797 $747 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[8][9][10]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, spent $1.6 million on ads and mailers opposing Davis through November 3.[11]
  • Women Vote! spent $920,000 both supporting Londrigan and opposing Davis through mid-October.[11]


Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[12]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[13][14][15]

Race ratings: Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+3, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Illinois' 13th Congressional District the 213th most Republican nationally.[16]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.06. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.06 points toward that party.[17]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement Davis (R) Londrigan (D)
Elected officials
Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)[18] ✔
Individuals
Former Pres. Barack Obama (D)[19] (see more Obama endorsements here) ✔
Organizations
10 labor unions, including Laborers’ International Union of North America and American Federation of Government Employees[20] ✔

Timeline

  • October 29, 2018: The candidates participated in a fourth and final debate.
  • October 23, 2018: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) made campaign stops in Illinois for Davis.[21]
  • October 15, 2018: Londrigan reported raising nearly $1.7 million in the third quarter of 2018, while Davis reported raising about $700,000.[22]
  • October 12, 2018: Vice Pres. Mike Pence (R) appeared at a fundraiser for Rodney Davis in Springfield.[23]
  • October 1, 2018: Former President Barack Obama (D) endorsed Londrigan.
  • September 20, 2018: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, announced that it would spend $1 million in this district.
  • August 28, 2018: Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball changed their race ratings from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican."

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Rodney Davis

Support

"Baseball (extended)" - Davis campaign ad, released October 29, 2018
"Service" - Davis campaign ad, released October 25, 2018
"Mayor" - Davis campaign ad, released October 17, 2018
"Shannon" - Davis campaign ad, released September 19, 2018
"Hands" - Davis campaign ad, released September 19, 2018
"Tammie" - Davis campaign ad, released August 14, 2018
"Solutions" - Davis campaign ad, released November 22, 2017

Oppose

"Costs Us" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 30, 2018
"Game" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 23, 2018
"Learned" - Londrigan campaign ad, released October 17, 2018
"Time" - Londrigan campaign ad, released October 17, 2018
"Lottery" - EMILY's List ad, released October 16, 2018
"CAUGHT" - Londrigan campaign ad, released October 4, 2018
"Being" - DCCC ad, released September 24, 2018
"TWICE" - Londrigan campaign ad, released September 22, 2018

Democratic Party Betsy Londrigan

Support

"Shared" - Londrigan campaign ad, released October 30, 2018
"Retire" - Londrigan campaign ad, released September 7, 2018
"Hike" - Londrigan campaign ad, released August 20, 2018
"Fighting" - Londrigan campaign ad, released February 27, 2018

Oppose

"The Truth" - Davis campaign ad, released October 9, 2018
"Really Know" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released October 29, 2018
"Shameful" - Defending Main Street ad, released October 22, 2018
"(IL-13) Adrift" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released October 11, 2018
"(IL-13) Liberal Londrigan" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released September 26, 2018

Debates and forums

Oct. 29 WGLT Public Radio debate

Londrigan and Davis participated in a fourth and final debate.

View a video of the event here.

Oct. 22 Millikin University debate

Davis and Londrigan met in a debate at Millikin University. They discussed taxes, healthcare policy, trade, and other issues.

Watch a video and read coverage of the event here.

See another roundup of the debate here:

Oct. 18 WILL-TV debate

Davis and Londrigan participated in a debate hosted by WILL-TV. Topics discussed included taxes, the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and healthcare policy.

See a roundup of the debate here: The News-Gazette

Oct. 15 State Journal-Register debate

Davis and Londrigan met in a debate hosted by the State Journal-Register. They discussed cooperation with President Trump, healthcare, and tax policy, among other topics.

Watch the full debate here.

See roundups of the debate here:

Campaign themes

Rodney Davis

The following themes were found on Davis' campaign website.

“ CONSTITUENT SERVICES

Constituent and Springfield resident Tammie Rockford lost her husband Steve Rockford to ALS. Here, she explains her and her late husband’s relationship with Rodney Davis as well as his work to increase funding for ALS research.

“I am proud to support Rodney Davis for reelection. The time and effort Rodney has spent caring about Steve, myself, and our family is incredible. Rodney Davis is the real deal and I look forward to continue working with him to ensure that the federal government continues to assist in research and finding cures for horrible diseases such as ALS.” – Tammie Rockford

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Unemployment is at a 49-year low, our economy is growing, and 90 percent of Americans are seeing bigger paychecks. The optimism in our economy is because Republicans in Congress and the Administration have focused on making pro-growth reforms. We’ve worked to rollback Obama-era regulations that have stifled economic growth and passed the first major overhaul of our tax code in nearly 31 years. But there’s still more work to be done.

Investing in infrastructure, passing a Farm Bill, and reforming our workforce training programs are critical to furthering economic growth in the 13th District. I continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address these important issues.

Rodney believes we must lower taxes for everyone, including small business owners, and reduce red tape and regulations. Government doesn’t create jobs, which means Congress should get out of the way of business owners and let them do their jobs.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
I believe government officials should be accountable to those we serve. As Vice Chair of the Committee on House Administration, I led reforms that strengthened spending controls on members of Congress’ office budgets and made the House the most transparent entity within the federal government. I’ve also introduced and supported good-government bills like the Protecting Taxpayers from Corruption Act, to prevent the abuse of workers’ compensation and create more transparency within government, and the End Government Shutdowns Act, to stop crisis governing.

Additionally, I helped lead the first overhaul of the Congressional Accountability Act in more than 20 years to reform sexual harassment rules governing Congress. H.R. 4924 and H.Res. 724, which passed unanimously out of the House, will strengthen employee protections, increase transparency, and hold members personally responsible for their conduct and taxpayer dollars. Whether it’s in government, the media, or Hollywood, no one should have to worry about sexual harassment when they come to work. I believe Congress should lead by example.

TAXES
This Congress and President Trump, passed the first major tax reform in 31 years. We lowered tax rates so now 90 percent of Americans are seeing bigger paychecks because Washington is taking less. When people file their taxes next year, they’ll see the standard deduction doubled, the Child Tax Credit doubled, and maintains other popular deductions so the average family of four in the 13th District earning the median income of $78,509 with save around $2,224. Because Democrats refused to support tax reform, we were forced to put an expiration date on these tax cuts on the individual side. However, I’m working to pass a bill that would make these tax cuts permanent and ensure your taxes won’t increase in 2025.

We also now have a tax code that allows our businesses to compete with the rest of the world. Millions of workers are already seeing the benefits of tax reform because businesses are increasing wages, giving bonuses, expanding paid family leave, and contributing more to their retirement. Tax reform is incentivizing companies to stay in America and hire more American workers.

SPENDING
We have a government that still spends, borrows and taxes too much. As President Reagan said, “The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.”

Our national debt has surpassed $17 trillion, nearly $53,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. In fact recently, the CBO released a report stating without major reforms, federal debt held by the public would reach 100 percent of GDP in 2038. This is wrong and immoral. It undermines the dollar and our place in the global market, resulting is more economic uncertainty that the nation cannot afford.

Washington should live by the same rules as every American family and that means balancing our budget and only spending what we take in.

HEALTHCARE
I know that a one-size-fits-all, government-mandated health care system is not the answer for addressing the needs of both people with health insurance and the uninsured. Just after the birth of our daughter Toryn, my wife Shannon was diagnosed with colon cancer. Thankfully, Shannon beat the cancer, but it gave me first-hand knowledge of dealing with serious medical conditions under our health insurance model. However, our health care system isn’t working for everyone, especially those on Obamacare.

I voted to reform our broken health care system to lower costs, expand access, and increase coverage. Obamacare has limited choices with 18 of the 23 Obamacare insurance co-ops failing and insurance companies fleeing the market leaving 75 percent of Illinois with the choice of 1 or 2 insurance providers. This drives up costs. In fact, nearly 60 million Americans still don’t have insurance at all or can’t afford to use the insurance they have.

Since 2013, Illinois has seen premiums increase by 108 percent and people’s out-of-pocket costs have increased by an average of 64 percent nationally. This is not affordable or sustainable for anyone. We can do better.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed that the reforms passed by the House would have lowered monthly premiums and increase opportunities for group insurance, which typically provides the best coverage for the most affordable price. Unfortunately, these reforms failed in the Senate.

It’s imperative that Republicans and Democrats come together to fix our broken health care system.

AGRICULTURE
As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I work to be a voice for 13th District agriculture in Washington. I routinely hold tool shed discussions and meetings with my agriculture advisory board in the 13th District to take their concerns to Congress. Much of the time I am working to get Washington out of the way. Working to repeal ridiculous regulations like expanding the Waters of the U..S. (WOTUS), which would have allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate water in irrigation ditches and farm ponds.

I was proud to help craft the last long-term Farm Bill to strengthens crop insurance, a key risk management tool for our farmers, and cut nearly $100 billion in spending. As chairman of the Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee, I believe agriculture research at leading universities, like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University, are critical to the future of agriculture and feeding the world.

Agriculture is one of the biggest industries in this 14-county district and the state of Illinois. I continue to be a strong advocate for farmers and agribusiness in Congress.

TRANSPORTATION
We rely on our transportation system to get us where we need to go everyday and to move our products to market. Investing in a 21st Century transportation system is critical to our nation’s economic success. Our international competitors are investing more and more in their transportation infrastructure everyday and we must do the same to remain competitive.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have the opportunity to help craft a long-term highway bill, an overhaul of our waterways, and a bill to modernize our airways. I have fought for ways to speed up government approval of projects, increase local control of federal dollars, and utilize public-private partnerships to save taxpayer dollars.

President Trump has committed to investing in infrastructure and I look forward to continuing to work with my Republican and Democrat colleagues to fix our crumbling infrastructure.

VETERANS
Our veterans have given so much for our nation that we cannot even begin to repay them. Ensuring the promises made to them are kept is a responsibly that cannot be taken lightly. Unfortunately, our VA system has failed our veterans in recent years with “secret wait lists,” long wait times, and delayed care. I supported legislation signed into law to hold VA leaders accountable and improve care by allowing veterans who are experiencing long wait times or live long distances from a VA hospital to access private care. Strong oversight over the VA is something I take very seriously.

I co-introduced the WINGMAN Act to give congressional offices more oversight over the VA claims process and the ability to track cases so our veterans are receiving the answers they need and deserve. This bill passed the House unanimously last year, but continues to wait on Senate action.

EDUCATION
As a parent of three children, I understand the need to invest in education and ensure our parents, teachers, and local school administrators remain in control of our children’s education – what works for one school may not work for another. I believe the role of the federal government should be an effective, but limited one.

Unfortunately, another issue our schools continue to deal with is safety and preventing violence. As the survivor of a mass shooting, this is a very personal issue to me. I supported the STOP School Violence Act, which had 407 Republicans and Democrats came together to pass in the House. This provides grants to schools to help them increase security, develop crisis management and threat assessment teams, and improve coordination to help prevent violent actions before they occur. I have also voted to strengthen our background check system and overhaul our mental health system to better help those before it’s too late.

The 13th District is home to roughly 45,000 students attending eight colleges and universities in Central and Southwestern Illinois. With a daughter in college, Rodney understands the importance of college affordability and helping students reduce their debt. He has fought to keep student loan rates low and supported legislation to help students limit the amount they borrow by increasing transparency. Additionally, I introduced legislation to encourage employers to be part of the solution by allowing them to pay toward an employee’s student debt. I fought to maintain so that one day we can ultimately expand these important higher education provisions in tax reform.[24]

”
—Rodney Davis' 2018 campaign website[25]

Betsy Londrigan

The following themes were found on Londrigan's 2018 campaign website.

“

Healthcare
Betsy firmly believes that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

For far too long, America’s health insurance system has made healthcare costlier, less accessible, and less efficient for families and small businesses. Betsy will fight to make sure no family loses someone they love because they can't get to a doctor, can't afford their doctor's visit or medicine, or stand to lose everything they've worked for due to overwhelming medical bills.

Betsy nearly lost her son, Jack, to a rare illness after he was bitten by a tick at age 12. Jack survived, but without good health insurance the family would have lost everything. Betsy firmly believes that everyone should have access to quality and affordable healthcare.

She will always support Planned Parenthood, and will never take away a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions. Protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are top priorities for Betsy.

Betsy will work to:

★ Take steps toward universal healthcare coverage by stabilizing the ACA and protecting Essential Health Benefits

★ Support a public option that can compete with private insurers

★ Stand up for healthcare protections for people with pre-existing conditions

★ Support Planned Parenthood and a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions

★ Protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits

★ Allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices

★ Promote preventive healthcare to lower costs for healthcare in the long run

Jobs and the Middle Class
Betsy will always put the needs of the middle class first, not corporations or special interests.

She will work to get money out of politics and close loopholes that allow billionaires and corporations to secretly spend unlimited money on campaigns. As we continue to rebuild and grow our economy, Betsy understands that we have to stay focused on job creation, support our small businesses, and invest in the future. Illinoisans want a local economy that creates a good life for their families and that can support future generations.

Betsy will work to:

★ Create real tax reform for the middle class and small businesses that will grow the local economy

★ Invest in upgrading and modernizing infrastructure including: roads, bridges, electrical grids, waterways, and pipeline distribution systems

★ Make small business loans easier to get and increase small businesses' access to government contracts

★ Lower the small business tax rate and curb increasing costs

★ Expand funding for agricultural technology and business startups

★ Advocate for partnerships between high schools and trade unions to encourage movement toward apprenticeships and trade jobs

★ Raise the cap on employer-provided tuition assistance to help companies cover tuition costs and advanced training for employees

Empowering Women and Families
Betsy believes empowering women and their families is a matter of economic and social justice.

She'll protect women's healthcare, so millions can access safe, free options for birth control, life-saving cancer screenings, and other critical healthcare tools. She will strongly advocate for policies that put women on equal footing with men and provide pathways to increased opportunities for the families they support.

Betsy will work to:

★ Champion legislation for equal pay for equal work

★ Prioritize safety on college campuses

★ Ensure the routine reauthorization of a strong Violence Against Women Act

★ Promote policies that allow for flexibility in the workplace including family leave and caring for children and elderly family members

★ Protect a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions and treat women's reproductive health with individual respect and without additional costs

★ Strengthen sexual harassment and abuse policies across all employment sectors that put victims first and bring transparency to the reporting process

Education
As a former teacher and a mother of three, Betsy believes that a quality education opens doors for better lives.

She wants to make sure that a good secondary education isn't out of reach for middle-class families. Whether it is an apprenticeship, community college, four-year university, or mid-career retraining, Betsy wants students of all ages prepared for the changing work force.

Betsy will work to:

★ Make public colleges and universities more affordable and allow those with crushing student loan debt to refinance

★ Raise the child tax credit to 18 so parents can allocate that money towards educational costs

★ Open avenues for paying off existing student debt including making it easier for employers to offer student loan repayment as an employee benefit and lowering interest rates

★ Encourage two-year and four-year colleges to expand income share agreement programs so students pay for tuition costs through jobs secured post-college

★ Allow colleges to incorporate "student ambassadors" into their work-study programs to mentor high school seniors through the college application and financial aid process

★ Incentivize businesses to fund continuing education by introducing a tax credit for money contributed to a 529 account for an employee or an employee’s child

★ Raise the cap on employer-provided tuition assistance to help companies cover tuition costs and advanced training for employees

★ Preserve higher-education benefits, such as employer contributions, deduction of tuition and qualified educational expenses and allow companies to cover the cost of a college education at community colleges and other partner institutions for working students

Investing in Rural Illinois
Betsy's roots in the district go back generations.

Her family still owns and operates the family farm in Niantic, Illinois where her grandmother grew up. Betsy appreciates the many challenges facing farmers and will advocate for policies that protect them. She knows it's critical that small-business owners in rural areas have access to fast, reliable communication and internet services to allow them to compete in our changing economy.

Betsy will work to:

★ Increase investments in modern, efficient waterways to help move products to market

★ Protect crop insurance to keep our farmers growing

★ Connect rural communities to modern technology outlets through increased investments in broadband and wireless communications

★ Expand funding for agricultural technology and business startups

★ Maintain full funding of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help farmers improve soil health, build resiliency, and promote conservation of land and water

★ Promote expanded trade markets and protect Illinois' access to the global agricultural marketplace

Tax Reform
Betsy opposes the Republican tax bill that gives a massive tax cut to millionaires while adding $1.9 trillion to the national debt.

The Republican tax bill is endangering funding for Social Security and Medicare. She will promote solutions that build our economy from the middle out, not the top down. Betsy believes that tax reform should benefit our hardworking families and encourage job growth here in the United States.

Betsy will work to:

★ Retain deductions and credits for medical expenses, teachers, graduate students, student loans, and other individual breaks needed to help families

★ Incentivize businesses to invest in apprenticeships and job-training programs

★ Prevent corporations from hiding profits overseas to avoid paying their taxes by moving to a sales apportionment tax based system such as those employed at the state levels

★ Preserve higher-education benefits such as employer contributions, deduction of tuition and qualified educational expenses and allow companies to cover the cost of a college education at community colleges and other partner institutions for working students

★ Help small businesses with cash-flow by simplifying the tax code and lowering rates

Addressing Gun Violence
Betsy comes from a family and community of responsible gun owners, and has deep respect for individual rights to own guns under the 2nd Amendment.

She strongly believes we have to address gun violence as a community by bringing gun owners and non-gun owners to the discussion to determine common sense ways to reduce violence.

Betsy will work to:

★ Enforce universal background checks, including online and private sales

★ Address gun violence as a public health issue by allowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence in our communities

★ Prevent individuals who have been placed on the terrorist watch list, who have been convicted of violent crimes or domestic violence, or who are mentally ill, from purchasing guns

Energy and the Environment
Betsy believes clean air and water are basic human rights, and that we are all responsible for preventing the acceleration of climate change.

Reducing greenhouse gases and finding solutions to combat climate change will be a top priority for Betsy. She supports alternative energies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and will work to strike a balance between protecting our environment, and meeting Illinoisans' energy needs.

Betsy will work to:

★ Make new investments in energy producing communities

★ Protect our public lands and waters

★ Invest in safer, cleaner, and modern infrastructure to upgrade our electrical grids, waterways, roads and bridges

★ Expand clean energy and research development

★ Reduce methane emissions and eradicate lead poisoning by repairing and replacing old, leaky pipes

★ Maintain full funding of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help farmers improve soil health, build resiliency and promote conservation of land and water

Veterans
Betsy will be a leading voice on behalf of our veterans, active duty service members, and their families.

She is focused on improving healthcare for veterans and ensuring they receive the benefits they have earned in a timely manner and with fewer errors.

Betsy will work to:

★ Update and upgrade veteran care facilities and hospitals

★ Improve veterans' services in Illinois communities

★ Prioritize funding the VA to guarantee all veterans have access to necessary healthcare

★ Strengthen veterans' care by expanding mental health services, increasing access to healthcare in rural areas, and improving care for female veterans

★ Advocate for programs to support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

★ Support the families of veterans and active duty military members

Immigration
Betsy's immigrant great-grandparents moved to the United States to build better lives.

Both parties in Washington have failed to fix our immigration problem. Betsy believes hardworking, law-abiding immigrants are an important and valuable part of the fabric of our nation and wants to make sure other families have opportunities to build good lives for themselves and the generations that follow.

Betsy will work to:

★ End the shameful partisan politics around this issue by members of both parties and advocate for bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to earned citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while protecting American workers and strengthening border security

★ Codify DACA to protect DREAMers by granting permanent residency and an earned path to citizenship through higher education, military service or employment

★ Support ICE and our Border Patrol by giving them the tools they need to stop illegal immigrants from crossing our borders, and end the family separation policy so these agencies can focus on border security and enforcing interior immigration laws that keep our communities safe

★ Respect the human rights of immigrants who have come to this country seeking a better life[24]

”
—Betsy Londrigan's 2018 campaign website[26]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Rodney Davis Facebook

Republican Party Betsy Londrigan Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Eleven of 102 Illinois counties—10.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Alexander County, Illinois 8.30% 13.65% 12.62%
Carroll County, Illinois 26.69% 1.49% 4.81%
Fulton County, Illinois 14.93% 11.04% 21.33%
Henderson County, Illinois 28.43% 12.25% 17.67%
Henry County, Illinois 20.99% 3.08% 7.74%
Jo Daviess County, Illinois 14.64% 1.16% 10.49%
Knox County, Illinois 2.91% 17.37% 19.89%
Mercer County, Illinois 20.36% 7.39% 11.91%
Putnam County, Illinois 19.92% 1.82% 15.64%
Warren County, Illinois 16.50% 5.47% 8.08%
Whiteside County, Illinois 6.18% 17.02% 17.56%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Illinois with 55.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 38.8 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Illinois voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 50 percent of the time. Illinois voted Democratic in all five elections from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Illinois. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[27][28]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 75 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 39.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 76 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 42.1 points. Clinton won 13 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 43 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 15 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 42 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 22.1 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


District history

2016

See also: Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Rodney Davis (R) defeated Mark Wicklund (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Davis defeated Ethan Vandersand in the Republican primary on March 15, 2016.[29][30]

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Davis Incumbent 59.7% 187,583
     Democratic Mark Wicklund 40.3% 126,811
Total Votes 314,394
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections


U.S. House, Illinois District 13 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Davis Incumbent 77% 71,447
Ethan Vandersand 23% 21,401
Total Votes 92,848
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

2014

See also: Illinois' 13th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 13th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Rodney Davis (R) defeated Ann Callis (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Davis Incumbent 58.7% 123,337
     Democratic Ann Callis 41.3% 86,935
Total Votes 210,272
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results

2012

On November 6, 2012, Rodney Davis (R) won election to the United States House. He defeated David Gill (D) and John Hartman (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Davis 46.5% 137,034
     Democratic David Gill 46.2% 136,032
     Independent John Hartman 7.2% 21,319
Total Votes 294,385
Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Judy Biggert won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Scott Harper (D) in the general election.[31]

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJudy Biggert incumbent 64% 149,857
     Democratic Scott Harper 36% 84,290
Total Votes 234,147

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Illinois heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Democrats controlled both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. They had a 67-51 majority in the state House and a 37-22 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Illinois was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Bruce Rauner (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Illinois elections, 2018

Illinois held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Illinois
 IllinoisU.S.
Total population:12,839,047316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):55,5193,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:72.3%73.6%
Black/African American:14.3%12.6%
Asian:5%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:16.5%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:87.9%86.7%
College graduation rate:32.3%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$57,574$53,889
Persons below poverty level:16.8%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Illinois.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Illinois' three largest cities were Chicago (pop. est. 2.7 million), Aurora (pop. est. 200,000), and Joliet (pop. est. 150,000).[32][33]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Illinois from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Illinois every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Illinois 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 55.8% Republican Party Donald Trump 38.8% 17.0%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 57.6% Republican Party Mitt Romney 40.7% 16.9%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 61.9% Republican Party John McCain 36.8% 25.1%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 54.8% Republican Party George W. Bush 44.5% 10.3%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 54.6% Republican Party George W. Bush 42.6% 12.0%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Illinois from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Illinois 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Democratic Party Tammy Duckworth 54.9% Republican Party Mark Kirk 39.8% 15.1%
2014 Democratic Party Dick Durbin 53.5% Republican Party Jim Oberweis 42.7% 10.8%
2010 Republican Party Mark Kirk 48.0% Democratic Party Alexander Giannoulias 46.4% 1.6%
2008 Democratic Party Dick Durbin 67.8% Republican Party Steve Sauerberg 28.5% 39.3%
2004 Democratic Party Barack Obama 70.0% Republican Party Alan Keyes 27.0% 43.0%
2002 Democratic Party Dick Durbin 60.3% Republican Party Jim Durkin 38.0% 22.3%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Illinois.

Election results (Governor), Illinois 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Bruce Rauner 50.3% Democratic Party Pat Quinn 46.3% 4.0%
2010 Democratic Party Pat Quinn 46.8% Republican Party Bill Brady 45.9% 0.9%
2006 Democratic Party Rod Blagojevich 49.8% Republican Party Judy Baar Topinka 39.3% 10.5%
2002 Democratic Party Rod Blagojevich 52.2% Republican Party Jim Ryan 45.1% 7.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Illinois in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Illinois 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 7 38.9% Democratic Party 11 61.1% D+4
2014 Republican Party 8 44.4% Democratic Party 10 55.6% D+2
2012 Republican Party 6 33.3% Democratic Party 12 66.7% D+6
2010 Republican Party 11 57.9% Democratic Party 8 42.1% R+3
2008 Republican Party 7 36.8% Democratic Party 12 63.2% D+5
2006 Republican Party 9 47.4% Democratic Party 10 52.6% D+1
2004 Republican Party 9 47.4% Democratic Party 10 52.6% D+1
2002 Republican Party 10 52.6% Democratic Party 9 47.4% R+1
2000 Republican Party 10 50.0% Democratic Party 10 50.0% Even

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
House D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ DCCC, "Races," accessed October 24, 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 YouTube, "Rodney Davis videos," accessed September 27, 2018
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rodney Davis' 2018 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 27, 2018
  4. ↑ Vote Smart, "Betsy Londrigan's Biography," accessed September 27, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Betsy Londrigan's 2018 campaign website, "Meet Betsy," accessed September 27, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 YouTube, "Betsy Londrigan's 2018 campaign website," accessed September 27, 2018
  7. ↑ Betsy Londrigan's 2018 campaign website, "The Latest," accessed September 27, 2018
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  10. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 ProPublica, "Illinois’s 13th District House Race - 2018 cycle," accessed November 5, 2018
  12. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  13. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  14. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  15. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  16. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  17. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  18. ↑ The News-Gazette, "Londrigan endorsed by possible presidential contender," March 8, 2018
  19. ↑ The Associated Press, "Obama endorses Londrigan in Illinois congressional race," October 2, 2018
  20. ↑ Illinois Review, "GOP Congressman Davis Boasts Four More Union Endorsements," August 31, 2018
  21. ↑ KMOV, "Speaker Ryan in Metro East to campaign for Davis, talk taxes and immigration," October 23, 2018
  22. ↑ Politico, "CHANCE THE RAPPER holds City Hall presser — VALLAS’ econ plan — SUMMERS out," October 16, 2018
  23. ↑ WGN9, "Pence visits Springfield to campaign with GOP Rep. Rodney Davis," October 12, 2018
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  25. ↑ Rodney Davis' 2018 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed September 27, 2018
  26. ↑ Betsy Londrigan's 2018 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed September 27, 2018
  27. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  28. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  29. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
  30. ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
  31. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
  32. ↑ Illinois Demographics, "Illinois Cities by Population," accessed December 11, 2017
  33. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Illinois," accessed December 11, 2017
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Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Tammy Duckworth (D)
Dick Durbin (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
Mike Bost (R)
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Democratic Party (16)
Republican Party (3)

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