Here are the people who want to represent you in the Illinois legislature and Congress
People who want to run as a Democrat or Republican in the November 2020 elections had until the end of the day Monday to file their paperwork with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The filing deadline is for seats in the Illinois General Assembly and Congress and only applies to people who want to represent one of the two leading parties. Independent and third-party candidates have until June 22, 2020, to file their paperwork.
Here is a preview of some of the region’s more competitive races:
13th and 15th Congressional Seats
Two congressional races in the region may be the most interesting to watch in the 2020 election cycle.
There is no incumbent running for Illinois’ 15th congressional seat after current U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, decided he wasn’t going to run for another term. In his absence, seven candidates are running for the open seat: three Republican and four Democratic.
“There is a real value to incumbency,” said State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Belleville. “Him stepping down leaves a void the Democrats have a chance to pick up.”
Flipping the seat from red to blue won’t be trivial since the district has been a consistent Republican stronghold. Shimkus held the seat, which includes Collinsville but mostly covers southeastern Illinois to the Kentucky and Indiana borders, since 1996.
The 13th congressional district will likely be a rematch of the 2018 race. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan will square off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, again if she wins her primary.
The race in 2018 was close. Davis beat Londrigan by 3.6 percentage points in a district that leaned Republican by 7.7 points, according to the politics blog FiveThirtyEight.
“That was one of the closest races in the country,” said Hoffman, who is running to keep his seat. “At the beginning of the campaign, many people didn’t think she had a shot.”
As of the deadline, no one had filed paperwork indicating they would challenge Hoffman, but there is still time for an independent or third-party candidate to do so.
In 2020, the presidential election could tip the scales in Londrigan’s favor, Hoffman said. He said he sees the many colleges and universities inside the 13th district playing a large role in the election outcome. The district includes parts of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon and extends north to also encompass Springfield, Decatur, Champaign and Bloomington.
Here is a list of candidates who have filed paperwork to run in U.S. Senate or House races and Illinois State Senate and House races ahead of the Monday deadline:
U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield (incumbent)
Peggy Hubbard, R-Belleville
Thomas Tarter, R-Springfield
Mark Curran, R-Libertyville
Casey Chlebek, R-Glenview
Marshall Robert, R-Burr Ridge
12th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro (incumbent)
Joel D. Funk, D-Mascoutah
Raymond C. Lenzi, D-Makanda
13th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville (incumbent)
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, D-Springfield
Stefanie Smith, D-Urbana
15th Congressional District
Kevin Gaither, D-Charleston
Erika Weaver, D-Mattoon
Craig Morton, D-Salem
John W. Hursey Jr., D-Collinsville
Mary Miller, R-Oakland
Kerry Wolff, R-Altamont
Darren Duncan, R-Rossville
Kent Gary, R-Leland Grove
Chuck Ellington, R-Camargo
Kimberly Wade, R-Grafton
State Senate District 58
State Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphsyboro (incumbent)
State House District 108
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville (incumbent)
Kacie Weicherding, D-Hoyleton
State House District 111
State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Godfrey (incumbent)
Amy Elik, R-Alton
State House District 112
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville (incumbent)
State House District 113
State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Belleville (incumbent)
State House District 114
State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis (incumbent)
Dave Barnes, R-Belleville
State House District 116
State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville (incumbent)
David Friess, R-Red Bud
Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt
David Holder, R-Baldwin
You can see the candidates from around the state online and follow bnd.com/election for the latest updates in the metro-east.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 8:47 AM.
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