Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.

Illinois' 13th Congressional District election (March 20, 2018 Democratic primary)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


2020 →
← 2016
Illinois' 13th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
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
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th
Illinois elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Betsy Londrigan (D), a former staffer to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), won the Democratic primary in Illinois' 13th Congressional District with 45.7 percent support.[1]

Four other Democrats ran in the primary: college professor Jonathan Ebel, physician David Gill, former Illinois Assistant Attorney General Erik Jones, and teacher Angel Sides. They competed for the party's nomination to face incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis (R), a target for Democrats since his first victory in 2012.[2]

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put the 13th on its list of targeted races for 2018, which didn’t come as a surprise to the Davis camp.[3]

Davis campaign representative Ashley Phelps, told the Herald & Review, “Democrats drew this district [following the 2010 census] so they’re always going to keep trying.”[2]

Illinois voter? Dates you need to know.
Primary electionMarch 20, 2018
Candidate filing deadlineDecember 4, 2017
Registration deadlineFebruary 20 (in-person) & March 4 (online), 2018
Absentee application deadlineMarch 15 (by mail) & March 19 (in-person), 2018
General electionNovember 6, 2018
Voting information
Primary typeOpen
Early voting deadlineMarch 19, 2018
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.


For more on related elections, please see:


Candidates and election results

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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 13

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.
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

Election updates

  • March 8, 2018: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and her affiliated super PAC, Off the Sidelines, endorsed Londrigan.[4]
  • February 27, 2018: Londrigan released a campaign ad focused on healthcare and her support for Planned Parenthood.
  • February 20, 2018: The Chicago Tribune endorsed Jones: "Our pick is Erik Jones, of Edwardsville, whose background as a government attorney at the state and federal levels would give him a running start in Congress."[5]
  • February 12, 2018: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) endorsed Jones.
  • January 31, 2018: Campaign finance reports were due for the fourth quarter of 2017. Londrigan raised $163,000 and Jones raised $132,000.[6]

Top candidates

Ballotpedia has identified Jones and Londrigan as top candidates in this race based on polling, funds raised, and endorsements.

Erik Jones

Erik Jones

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.[7]

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.”[8]

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."

Betsy Londrigan

Betsy Londrigan

Londrigan is a former staffer for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Her professional experience also includes working for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and Teach for America, where she taught 7th and 8th grades. Londrigan is the co-founder of Women Rising, an organization that works to elect female candidates to public office. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.[9]

She discussed her focus on healthcare when announcing her candidacy in July 2017. "No family should be put in danger of bankruptcy because of an unexpected medical emergency and people with pre-existing conditions need confidence they will be able to afford their healthcare. Healthcare is a serious issue and we need representatives in Washington who will treat it with the consideration it deserves and understand the consequences of the votes they take," she said.[10]

Londrigan has been endorsed by EMILY's List. Healthcare, women's issues, and jobs and the middle class were listed among her issue priorities on her campaign website.[11]

Candidates

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Campaign themes and policy stances

Campaign themes

These are the policy positions listed on the candidates' websites, if available.

Democratic Party Erik Jones

“ 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.[12]

”
—Erik Jones for Congress[13]

Democratic Party Betsy Londrigan

“ HEALTH CARE

Betsy believes that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. For Betsy, healthcare reform is extremely personal. She is all too aware how one medical emergency changes people's lives. For far too long, America’s health insurance system has made health care 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. 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
  • 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 preventative health care to lower costs for health care in the long run

WOMEN'S ISSUES

As a woman, Betsy knows that women's issues are matters of economic and social justice. She'll stand up to President Donald Trump and right-wing Republican attacks on women's healthcare. Congress is full of men who vote against funding for Planned Parenthood, denying millions of women a safe, free option for birth control, life-saving cancer screenings, and other critical healthcare tools. Betsy will strongly advocate for policies that put women on equal footing with our male counterparts and provide pathways to equality.

Betsy will work to:

  • Champion legislation for equal pay for equal work
  • Prioritize safety on college campuses
  • 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

JOBS AND THE MIDDLE CLASS

Betsy will always put the needs of the middle class first, not corporations or special interests. 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. Illinoisians want a local economy that creates a good life for their families and 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 moderninzing 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

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

FARM AND RURAL ISSUES

Betsy's roots in the district go back generations. Her cousin 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. Betsy 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 from Illinois
  • 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

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Betsy believes clean air and clean water are basic human rights, and that we all bear responsibility 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 Illinoisians 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, road 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 service members, and their families. She is focused on improving health care 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 health care
  • Strengthen veterans' care by expanding mental health services, increasing access to health care 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 military officers

IMMIGRATION

Betsy's immigrant great-grandparents moved to the United States to build better lives. She believes our immigrant community is 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:

  • Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that will provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants while protecting *American workers and strengthening border security
  • Codify DACA to protect DREAMers by granting permanent residency and a path to citizenship through higher education, military service or employment
  • Respect the human rights of immigrants who have come to this country seeking a better life

TAX REFORM

Betsy opposes any tax plan that gives handouts to millionaires at the expense of the American middle class. She will promote solutions that build our ecomomy from the middle out not the top down. Betsy believes that tax reform should benefit our hard-working 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 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 convicted of violent crimes or domestic violence, or who are mentally ill from purchasing guns
  • Ensure accessible, high quality, culturally competent and widely accessed mental health treatment by stabilizing the ACA and maintaining Essential Health Benefits[12]
 ”
—Betsy Londrigan for Congress[14]

Campaign finance

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly October 2017 reports. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of September 30, 2017.[15]

Democratic Party Democrats

Year-End 2017 Report

October 2017 Quarterly Report

Satellite spending

  • Women Vote, the super PAC affiliated with EMILY's List, spent $112,000 on mailers for Londrigan through February 2018.[16]

Endorsements

Democratic candidate endorsements
Endorsement Ebel Gill Jones Londrigan Sides
Officials
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)[17] ✔
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)[4] ✔
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D)[18] ✔
Organizations
With Honor[19] ✔
League of Conservation Voters Action Fund[20] ✔
EMILY's List[17] ✔
Off the Sidelines PAC[4] ✔
Newspapers
The Chicago Tribune[21] ✔


Campaign strategies and tactics

Campaign advertisements

Erik Jones

Support
"Every" - Jones campaign video, released February 1, 2018

Betsy Londrigan

Support
"Jack" - Londrigan campaign video, released January 31, 2018
"Fighting" - Londrigan campaign video, released February 27, 2018

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: Illinois' 13th Congressional District election, 2018
Race tracker Race ratings
October 30, 2018 October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report Lean Republican Lean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Lean Republican Lean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Lean Republican Lean 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.[22]

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.[23]

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).[24][25]

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. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results, General Primary - 3/20/2018," accessed May 24, 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Herald-Review, "National Democrats again target two Illinois congressional districts," July 5, 2017
  3. ↑ DCCC, "One Year Out," November 9, 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 News Gazette, "Londrigan endorsed by possible presidential contender," March 8, 2018
  5. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Our final U.S. House endorsements," February 20, 2018
  6. ↑ Politico, "House Q4 FEC Report," accessed February 15, 2018
  7. ↑ Erik Jones 2018 campaign website, "Meet Erik Jones," accessed January 15, 2018
  8. ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Former assistant attorney general enters race against Rodney Davis," July 24, 2017
  9. ↑ Betsy Londrigan 2018 campaign website, "Meet Betsy," accessed January 15, 2018
  10. ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Springfield woman seeks nomination to run for Congress against Davis," July 6, 2017
  11. ↑ Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for Congress, "Issues," accessed February 15, 2018
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  13. ↑ Erik Jones for Congress, "Principles," accessed February 15, 2018
  14. ↑ Betsy Dirksen Londrigran, "Issues," accessed February 15, 2018
  15. ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission," accessed November 5, 2017
  16. ↑ The News-Gazette, "Tom Kacich: | Democratic women's PAC throwing weight behind Londrigan," February 28, 2018
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 The News-Gazette, "5 Dems vying to replace Davis make cases at Champaign forum," December 15, 2017
  18. ↑ WGLT, "Lisa Madigan Endorses Erik Jones in 13th District Race," February 12, 2018
  19. ↑ News-Gazette, "Tom Kacich: Cross-partisan group endorses Ebel's integrity," January 28, 2018
  20. ↑ News-Gazette, "Conservation group endorses Jones in 13th District Dem primary," January 25, 2018
  21. ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Our final U.S. House endorsements," February 20, 2018
  22. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  23. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  24. ↑ Illinois Demographics, "Illinois Cities by Population," accessed December 11, 2017
  25. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Illinois," accessed December 11, 2017


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)


v • e
2017-2018 Elections to the United States Congress
Senate by StateCongressLogo.png
House by State
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Election information
Super PACs/Organizations
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Illinois%27_13th_Congressional_District_election_(March_20,_2018_Democratic_primary)&oldid=10217938"