Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Erik Jones
Erik Jones (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 13th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2018.
Jones is a former Illinois assistant attorney general and private practice attorney. His work experience includes serving as the chief investigative counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce and as investigative counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight. He graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.[1]
When announcing his candidacy in July 2017, Jones said, "I’m running for Congress because our best days can still be ahead of us if we stand up and fight for them. And, when it comes to speaking up for underdogs and fighting for everyday people, I’ll put my record up against anyone’s.”[2]
His campaign website highlights his experience as assistant attorney general in Illinois, including contributing to Illinois workers' pay laws, which his campaign website called "among the strongest in the country."
Elections
2018
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 | ||
| ✔ |  | Rodney Davis (R) | 50.4 | 136,516 |
 | Betsy Londrigan (D)  | 49.6 | 134,458 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 7 | ||
| Total votes: 270,981 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 | ||
| ✔ | | Betsy Londrigan | 45.7 | 24,515 |
 | Erik Jones | 22.4 | 12,024 | |
 | David Gill | 14.4 | 7,757 | |
 | Jonathan Ebel | 13.3 | 7,167 | |
 | Angel Sides | 4.2 | 2,237 | |
| Total votes: 53,700 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Carol Ammons (D)
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 | ||
| ✔ | | Rodney Davis | 100.0 | 44,512 |
| Total votes: 44,512 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
| “ | The Economy
We need an economy that works in every zip code. For far too long Washington has made decisions that benefit people in some parts of this country at the expense of the rest of us. We can do better. Let’s start by reinvesting in infrastructure, more thoroughly enforcing antitrust laws to ensure we have real competition in the marketplace, protecting and supporting people who are working to better themselves through educational opportunities and skills training, and doing more to support small and new business owners. America can be the land of opportunity, but only if we reorder our priorities to focus on everyday Americans, support hard working people, and do what we can to bring good jobs to the United States and the 13th district. Equal Opportunity The economy thrives when everyone shares in its successes. An economy that largely benefits only the wealthiest among us is not sustainable. We must build an equitable and honest system that creates opportunities for all Americans. An honest and equitable economy means making sure everyone gets equal pay for equal work, it means paid family and medical leave, so that an illness or a pregnancy won't derail a young person's future and it means tax reform that helps all of us who need it, not CEOs and billionaires. A properly working economy should regulate banks and financial speculators because we cannot afford another financial crisis. No one should have to delay retirement again just because a big bank gambled with their life savings—and lost. America is at its best when every woman, man, and child has the tools and security they need to pursue their goals and aspirations. It’s time for Washington to do its job and fulfill America’s promise of opportunity. Health Care is a Human Right I believe healthcare is a human right. That means all Americans should have it. That’s the bottom line, and that’s what I will fight for in Washington. When it comes to our health, we are all equally vulnerable. We must design a system that ensures high-quality, affordable coverage for everyone. There are serious problems with healthcare in America. Families here in the 13th district tell me that they’re under great financial strain as a result of exorbitant health care premiums. Small business owners have told me they are forced to choose between coverage and paying their expenses. People have told me they live in fear of an unstable marketplace. Meanwhile, 28 million Americans are still without health insurance, including thousands across the 13th District For too long, we have given insurance companies every opportunity to provide a service that works for the American people. For too long, they have failed. We all know the game the insurance companies play. Charge as much as possible for premiums and then use every possible tactic to deny coverage when people need their health insurance. While insurance company profits have been hitting record highs the rest of us have been footing the bill. Instead of taking action on behalf of everyday Americans, Washington continues to churn out policies designed by, and for the benefit of, insurance companies. That must stop. Instead, we must fight for solutions that will expand coverage, increase quality, decrease costs, offer options for consumers, and allow everyone in this country some peace of mind when it comes to the future of their coverage. The people of the 13th District deserve better options. We must open up the Medicare system, allowing anyone and everyone the opportunity to buy into it. This first step could be implemented immediately, and it will give give every American a chance at affordable, quality insurance, while also stabilizing the marketplace, ending the uncontrollable rise of premiums. Tax Fairness America must commit to a tax policy that benefits the middle class, not a handout to corporations and the extremely wealthy. The recent bill supported by Rodney Davis and Republicans in Washington punishes students, small and new businesses, and the sick and elderly. Meanwhile, it will increase our deficit by over $1 trillion dollars. They will soon use the increase in debt to push for billions of dollars of cuts to education, Medicare, farming subsidies, and countless other vital government programs. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s time Washington starts looking out for the middle class and working families, instead of the wealthiest. Support for Small & New Businesses I grew up in Centralia, working in my dad’s and my uncle’s office supply store. That store helped my family reach the middle class, and it also taught me the value small businesses bring to their community. Small and new businesses provide good jobs and reinvest locally. Unfortunately, the rate of new business creation has slowed dramatically in recent years. People are unable to take the risk of starting a new, small business. That’s because too many are already struggling to pay ridiculous amounts of debt from student loans, they’re afraid of losing their health care, or they’re dealing with regulations that favor the big companies. Washington is not doing enough to look out for and protect the little guy. Education & Training Quality education is has always been the best path to a good job, but the rising cost of school is closing that path for many people. I will advocate for programs and legislation to support anyone who needs additional education or training—whether that be an associate's degree, a Masters, or vocational training. The 13th District is home to nine institutions of higher education employing more than 20,000 people. These institutions are our greatest assets and we must invest in them. By properly funding our schools we will ensure that education is affordable for all while expanding our economy by bringing more students into our district. We can make sure that education is affordable for all and expand our economy by bringing students into our region. Big businesses have seen record profits, while far too many workers are being left behind. We must support workers of all ages who are seeking out certification programs and classes that will help them get better jobs in the future. We live in the wealthiest country in the world—we should be able to offer opportunity to everyone. Access to the Internet Over 23 million Americans in rural communities do not have access to reliable, quality internet access. In the counties that make up Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, 200,000 people are without access to high-speed internet. That’s unacceptable. It is almost impossible to participate in today’s economy without broadband internet. People across rural America deserve similar economic opportunities as citizens in big cities, and that requires access to reliable, high speed internet. I have come to understand the significance of this issue from my own life. My mother-in-law and father-in-law live in southern Illinois, and do not have access to broadband internet at their home. At the same time, cellular service is also spotty there. To obtain a reliable internet connection while staying with them, I have worked from the parking lots of fast food restaurants with wi-fi service. I have heard students taking similar steps across the country when they have needed the internet for their homework. We can do better. Studies consistently show that high-speed internet access is strongly linked to higher wages and lower unemployment. Whether it’s small business advertising, a young adult taking online courses, or a child getting help with their homework, the internet is a powerful tool for people to better themselves. It has changed the world. The internet is too critical to our lives to leave rural Americans behind. We have addressed similar challenges in the past. In the 1930s, millions of rural Americans were left without electricity until President Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act of 1935 into law. The Rural Electrification Act included the kinds of infrastructure investments necessary to expand our electric grid across every corner of America. It will require similar types of investments to provide every American access to the social, educational, and economic opportunities that come with high-speed internet access. It’s time we move past paying mere lip service to this problem. Accountability - Preventing Waste, Fraud & Abuse Earlier in my career, I spent over six years conducting oversight and investigations in Congress, first as a counsel to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the U.S. House of Representatives and later as Chief Investigative Counsel to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the U.S. Senate. In those roles, I was charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, and uncovering harmful practices in the private sector. Throughout my career in Congress, I worked under a quote. When Harry Truman resigned as chairman of one of the most significant and successful investigating committees in American history he said, “In my opinion, the power of investigation is one of the most important powers of Congress. The manner in which the power is exercised will largely determine the power and prestige of the Congress in the future.” I used that sentiment as inspiration as I worked on investigations related to FEMA, EPA, NASA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the National Science Foundation, the telecommunications sector, the banking sector, the insurance industry, and e-commerce. This work led to important reforms and federal law. We put a stop to billion-dollar scams in the private sector and prevented wasteful spending in the government. Washington is a mess right now. Federal agencies are being mismanaged and dismantled by those in charge, and we are seeing repeated instances of fraud and abuse by people in power. We need to send men and women to Congress who can start holding all three branches of government accountable on day one. It’s not enough to say we’ll do better. We need elected officials who know how to find problems and introduce legislation that fixes them. Respect for Science Climate change is real. We cannot ignore it. If left unchecked, climate change will hurt farming, damage ecosystems, and post grave threats to our health and lifestyle. Smart policies to reduce emissions benefit our environment and our economy. Illinois is one of the best states for wind energy. We have begun to take advantage of this resource, but we have tremendous capacity in terms of growth. The generation of wind and solar power will bring lasting jobs and millions of dollars in new investments to rural areas, including much of the 13th. Wind and solar power will drive economic growth. New solar installations already provide cheap energy and great jobs. Clean energy jobs in Illinois are growing at a rate more than six times faster than overall job growth. Illinois leads the Midwest in clean energy jobs. If America works to become a renewable energy leader, as we have the capacity to do, Illinois will see some of the greatest benefits. Common Sense Gun Legislation There’s a lot more we can do as a county to protect our safety, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners under the Second Amendment. We need to do everything we can to ensure guns are kept out of the hands of dangerous people, and we aren’t doing that. There are many areas where we all agree. For instance, no one wants criminals or terrorists to have access to guns, and yet Washington won't move on legislation for background checks. Instead, at the request of the gun lobby, politicians in Washington like Rodney Davis are working to weaken the state and federal laws we already have in place. They’ve also failed, despite public support, to ban the sorts of bump stocks that were used in the Las Vegas shooting of 2017. That’s unacceptable. We can, and should, do better. We need leaders that are accountable to the best interests of the American people, not the gun lobby.[3] |
” |
| —Erik Jones for Congress[4] | ||
Campaign advertisements
|
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2018
- Illinois' 13th Congressional District
Footnotes
- ↑ Erik Jones 2018 campaign website, "Meet Erik Jones," accessed January 15, 2018
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Former assistant attorney general enters race against Rodney Davis," July 24, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Erik Jones for Congress, "Principles," accessed February 15, 2018
