Incumbent Republican Rodney Davis wins in IL 13th Congressional District
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis has won in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District race, according to unofficial election results from the Associated Press.
Davis, a four-term congressman from Taylorville, faced Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan of Springfield in a rematch for the central and southwestern Illinois district.
As of 11:30 p.m. with 96% of precincts reporting, Davis had 61.1% of the vote compared to Dirksen Londrigan’s 38.9%. Davis garnered 148,614 votes and Dirksen Londrigan had 94,500.
Dirksen Londrigan conceded shortly before 2 a.m.
“At every turn when hurdles were thrown up, we figured out how to clear them and keep running strong. I wish we had been able to clear this last hurdle, but I could not be more proud of the campaign we’ve run,” Dirksen Londrigan said, “the issues we’ve addressed and the effort we’ve put into reaching out to voters. Democracy is not a spectator sport. It requires each of us to do our part, and that doesn’t stop. Elections come and go. Representatives come and go. The job of the American citizen is constant.”
Political professionals considered the district a toss-up, while both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have poured money into the race. Dirksen Londrigan lost by less than a point, or 2,058 votes, in 2018.
Davis’ margins of victory shrank since he was elected, though he regained ground in 2020. In 2014 and 2016, the congressman won with 58.7% and 59.7%, respectively.
As in the last election, Davis and Dirksen Londrigan clashed over health care, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 13th District includes all or portions of the following counties: Bond, Calhoun, Champaign, Christian, De Witt, Greene, Jersey, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, McClean, Montgomery, Piatt and Sangamon counties.
Election authorities will continue counting outstanding vote-by-mail ballots as they arrive until Nov. 17, and state officials will certify official results on Dec. 4.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:17 PM.
