Illinois' 13th Congressional District elections, 2014

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Rodney 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

2016 → ← 2012

Illinois' 13th Congressional District

General Election Date November 4, 2014

Primary Date March 18, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Rodney Davis

Incumbent prior to election: Rodney Davis

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean R Fairvote's Monopoly Politics: Toss Up

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2014 U.S. Senate Elections

2014 U.S. House Elections

The 13th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.

Incumbent Rodney Davis (R), who was first elected in 2012, defeated challenger Ann Callis (D) in the general election. Davis faced primary opposition from, and defeated, Erika Harold and Michael Firsching. Callis also had to defeat two challengers, George Gollin and David Green, during the Democratic primary.

David Gill (D), who ran against Rodney Davis in 2012, considered a rematch against Davis in 2014. On May 3, 2013, Gov. Pat Quinn named Gill as assistant director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Gill confirmed that he would not seek the 13th District seat again.

Going into the election, the Democratic Super PAC House Majority PAC listed incumbent Rodney Davis as one of ten vulnerable incumbent Republicans they targeted in 2014, with the focus on those holding competitive seats.

Democrats were seeking to take the seat from Republicans in 2014. The district, redrawn in the 2012 redistricting process, picked up portions of Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield and the Metro East area. It is believed that these areas would allow the Democrats to receive more votes during the district elections.

Democratic nominee Ann Callis was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Jumpstart program, which was designed to provide early support to top-tier Democratic challengers. Both candidates received influxes of financial contributions towards their campaigns. Davis reported receiving over $500,000 in contributions at the July Quarterly, while Callis received over $300,000 in the same time frame.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
December 2, 2013	March 18, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Illinois, state law provides for a closed primary where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However, voters state their affiliation at the polls and any voter may change their affiliation on the day of the primary. A voter's eligibility to vote a party's ballot may be challenged.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by February 18, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 7, 2014.

See also: Illinois elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Rodney Davis (R), who was first elected in 2012.

Illinois' 13th Congressional District makes up a stretch of the central portion of the state. It includes Calhoun, Christian, De Witt, Greene, Jersey, Macon, Macoupin, Montgomery, and Piatt counties. Portions of Bond, Champaign, Madison, McLean, and Sangamon counties are also included in the district.

Candidates

General election candidates

• Rodney Davis - Incumbent
• Ann Callis

March 18, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary

• Michael Firsching
• Erika Harold :Former Miss America and 2012 potential Republican candidate
• Rodney Davis - Incumbenta

Democratic Primary

• Ann Callis: Former Chief judge of the Third Circuit of Illinois.a
• George Gollin: University of Illinois physics professor
• David Green: Social policy analyst at the University of Illinois' Center for Prevention Research and Development

Not on ballot

• Josh Dill

Withdrew prior to primary

• Bill Byrnes

Declined to run

• David Gill: 2012 Democratic candidate for Illinois' 13th District

Election results

General election results

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

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Rodney 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

Primary results

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ann Callis	54.7%	17,322
George Gollin	31.3%	9,935
David Green	14%	4,438
Total Votes		31,695
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

U.S. House, Illinois District 13 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rodney Davis Incumbent	54.6%	27,816
Erika Harold	41.1%	20,951
Michael Firsching	4.2%	2,147
Total Votes		50,914
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

Race background

Democratic Super PAC House Majority PAC listed incumbent Rodney Davis as one of 10 they were targeting as vulnerable incumbent Republicans in 2014, with the focus on those holding competitive seats.

David Gill (D) considered a rematch against Rodney Davis in 2014. On May 3, 2013, Gov. Pat Quinn named Gill as assistant director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Gill confirmed that he would not seek the 13th District seat again.

Democrats are seeking to take the seat from Republicans in 2014. The district, redrawn in the 2012 redistricting process, picked up portions of Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield and the Metro East area.

Issues

See also: Energy and the 2014 election: the ballots and beyond

Rodney Davis

Davis' campaign website listed the following issues:

“	Government Accountability: "Recently we’ve see a total decay of trust in the federal government by the American people following the revelation of the NSA’s data collecting and the IRS targeting conservative groups. The government we deserve is a government that is willing to protect the taxpayers, not one that abuses power, intimidates and plays politics. We have to take steps to ensure that all government agencies are held accountable when they cross the line and violate the rights of Americans." Jobs and the Economy: "Too many Americans are out of work, especially in areas across the 13th District. We have to put a stop to the endless cycle of unemployment and put Americans back to work. Commonsense legislation such as the Opportunity KNOCKS Act would be a step in the right direction as it would allow Americans receiving unemployment to get the education or training they need to find a job." Taxes: "Our tax system is in serious need of reform. U.S. companies currently pay the highest corporate tax rate in the world, making them less likely to invest and create jobs here in America. Rodney believes we must create a simpler, fairer tax system that ensures everyone pays their fair share and makes America a more attractive place for companies to invest and create jobs." 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."" Health Care: "Obamacare is still costing Americans jobs and has not lived up to its promises. Americans were told that they could keep their health care if they like it, that they could keep their doctor and that they would ultimately end up paying less for coverage. We’ve seen that this is simply not the case. Millions of Americans have received cancellation notices, are finding out that they won’t be able to see their doctor and that their premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed." Agriculture: "As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Rodney fights for the agriculture community in Washington. His perspective comes from knowledgeable farmers, ag business owners and his family’s small business experience in rural Illinois communities. This real-world experience serves him well in Congress where he uses his knowledge to advance agriculture and rural development policies which reflect the hardworking farmers and business owners in Illinois."	”
—Rodney Davis' campaign website, http://www.electrodney.com/index.php/issues

Ann Callis

Callis' campaign website listed the following issues:

“	Pragmatic Leadership: "Judge Ann Callis is running for Congress because Washington has become dysfunctional. On important issues to our region like jobs, education, Social Security and Medicare, partisanship outweighs common sense. A proven reformer, Judge Callis saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by streamlining the judiciary budget while working with community leaders across our region to create a foreclosure mediation program and the first Veterans Court in Illinois to improve services." Taxes/Deficit: "Ann Callis believes that Washington needs to find ways to cut the deficit responsibly – not on the backs of middle-class families, and not while providing massive tax cuts for millionaires and corporations that ship jobs overseas. In order to help businesses grow and create jobs, we need to get our fiscal house in order and give breaks to small businesses that create jobs here at home. We must also not make dangerous cuts to Social Security, Medicare, education or other programs that are vital to the middle class." Medicare and Social Security: "Ann Callis opposes any changes to Medicare and Social Security that affect current or future beneficiaries. Generations of workers have paid into the system and earned their benefits, and they deserve what they've been promised. Proposals to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program are reckless and Ann Callis will oppose any efforts to jeopardize either program. Instead, she supports efforts to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse to find efficiencies that will save money." Jobs and the Economy: "Judge Callis believes Washington’s top priority must be to create good jobs that will keep our middle class strong. Congress should be working to create an environment where small businesses can grow and thrive, not making ill conceived cuts that hamper our fragile economic recovery. From the Mississippi to Decatur to Champaign, we need to do more to support our colleges and universities that can be job incubators and link labor with local business leaders to identify critical skill-set needed to help re-train workers for the local jobs of the future." Fighting for the Middle Class: "When Washington bailed out the big banks they didn't do enough to help middle-class families who were struggling. As a Judge, Callis created a foreclosure mediation program to help keep homeowners in their homes. As a Congresswoman, Ann Callis will work with the district’s numerous manufacturers to see how tax credits and other incentives can help keep this critical part of our state’s economy growing. Rebuilding our local infrastructure and re-training those who are actively looking for work are vital steps toward keeping the middle class secure."	”
—Ann Callis' campaign website, http://www.callisforillinois.com/issues

Minor party access

During the 2014 elections, the Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party and Lincoln Liberty Party tried to gain ballot access in the Illinois general election. To do so, minor parties must have collected signatures on petitions in the districts their candidates seek to represent. For state executive office or U.S. Senate office, minor parties must have collected 25,000 signatures. For district offices, minor parties must collect signatures equal in number to five percent of those who voted for the office sought in the last general election. For district offices, the number of signatures ranged from close to 1,000 to over 15,000.

Key votes

Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Davis joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Rodney Davis voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Rodney Davis voted for HR 2775.

Media

League of Conservation Voters ad released August 12, 2013, against Mike Coffman (Colorado), "Ostrich Ad"

Ann Callis' first ad, released in February 2014, "Home."

Ann Callis' second ad, released in March 2014, "Right."

Ann Callis' third ad, released in March 2014, "Fairness."

Ann Callis

Ann Callis released her first ad of the campaign on February 25, 2014. The ad highlighted Callis’ support for veterans. Callis' campaign distributed the ad as an email fundraising pitch prior to running it on television.

In the ad, Callis said, “Back home and alive, it’s all we ask for but it’s not all they deserve. As a judge, when I saw veterans in legal trouble, I created the state’s first veterans court to help them get treatment and get back on their feet. In Washington, I’ll always support military families, and help veterans make the transition home, not just has your congressman but as a proud army mom.”

Callis released her second ad, "Right," on March 5, 2014, less than two weeks before the primary.

“As parents, we teach our children to do what’s right. As a judge, I held people accountable when they did wrong. That’s why I cracked down on violent criminals, and stopped the big banks when they tried to kick families out of their homes,” Callis said in the ad.

Callis released her third ad prior to the primary, "Fairness," on March 12, 2014. The ad highlighted "her commitment to stand up for seniors' and protect their Social Security and Medicare."

George Gollin

George Gollin's first ad, released in February 2014, "Miracles."

George Gollin's second ad, released in March 2014, "New Formula."

George Gollin's March 2014 ad, "Ann Callis: Folding on Social Security."

George Gollin (D) released an ad reminiscent of the 1980's "Miracle on Ice" victory for the U.S. men's hockey team in February 2014. In the ad, he connected the two events saying, "changing Washington would be a miracle, too."

Gollin released his second ad buy, worth an estimated $48,000, in March 2014.

On March 6, 2014, he began running an ad hitting challenger Ann Callis for "folding to the tea party agenda" on cutting Social Security.

Endorsements

Ann Callis

Callis received endorsements from Dick Durbin (D), former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Illinois AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 31.

Other endorsement included:

• State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson
• Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz
• Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing
• Champaign Mayor Don Gerard

George Gollin

The Chicago Tribune endorsed George Gollin (D) on March 2, 2014, for the Democratic nomination.

Other endorsements came from:

• The State Journal-Register

Erika Harold

The Chicago Tribune endorsed Erika Harold (R) on March 2, 2014, for the Republican nomination.

Campaign contributions

According to campaign finance reports from April 2013, Rep. Rodney Davis (R) raised $401,00 and had $334,000 cash-on-hand. In reports from July 2013 Davis reported raising more than $450,000 during the second quarter, bringing him to more than $700,000 cash-on-hand going into 2014, in what is expected to be one of the most competitive House contests of the cycle.

According to September 30, 2013, campaign finance reports, Davis had $882,145 in his campaign fund, a net gain of about $170,000 from the $702,855 he had on June 30, 2013. At the time, he had almost nine times as much money as his priamry challenger, Erika Harold.

The $302,069 Davis collected during the quarter was down significantly from the $454,814 he reported during the April through June period, and the $403,555 yield in the first quarter of the year.

Harold reported $72,619 in receipts in July, August and September. This is less than the $78,285 in contributions she previously reported between May 31, 2013, and June 30, 2013. She reported $99,208 on hand as of September 30, 2013, up from $62,261 on June 30, 2013.

Rodney Davis

Rodney Davis (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 16, 2013	$17,426.98	$403,555.15	$(86,778.5)	$334,203.63
July Quarterly	July 17, 2013	$334,203.63	$454,814.58	$(86,162.35)	$702,855.86
October Quarterly	October 13, 2013	$227,469.89	$57,766.35	$(37,338.83)	$247,897.41
Year-end	January 29, 2014	$247,897.41	$285,581	$(106,700)	$1,061,026
Pre-Primary	March 6, 2014	$1,061,026	$328,364	$(274,565)	$1,114,825
April Quarterly	April 15, 2014	$1,114,825	$285,558	$(448,479)	$951,903
July Quarterly	July 15, 2014	$951,903.00	$554,943.00	$(174,953.00)	$1,331,928.00
			Running totals
			$2,370,582.08	$(1,214,976.68)

Ann Callis

Ann Callis (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$0.00	$226,076.07	$(14,787.31)	$211,288.76
October Quarterly	October 16, 2013	$211,288.76	$240,873.12	$(81,986.38)	$370,175.50
Year-end	January 31, 2014	$370,175	$258,834	$(111,880)	$517,129
Pre-Primary	March 6, 2014	$517,129	$101,796	$(169,429)	$449,495
April Quarterly	April 15, 2014	$449,495	$188,804	$(124,402)	$513,897
July Quarterly	July 15, 2014	$513,897.00	$335,495.00	$(132,189.00)	$717,204.00
			Running totals
			$1,351,878.19	$(634,673.69)

Erika Harold

Erika Harold (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$0.00	$78,285.22	$(16,023.37)	$62,261.85
October Quarterly	October 16, 2013	$62,261.85	$72,619.45	$(35,672.72)	$99,208.58
Year-end	January 31, 2014	$99,208	$65,154	$(42,418)	$121,944
			Running totals
			$216,058.67	$(94,114.09)

Michael Firsching

Michael Firsching (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 15, 2013	$0	$0	$(0)	$0
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$0	$0	$(0)	$0
October Quarterly	October 15, 2013	$0	$0	$(0)	$0
			Running totals
			$0	$(0)

George Gollin

George Gollin (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
October Quarterly	October 15, 2013	$0.00	$300,509.99	$(38,422.86)	$262,087.13
Year End	January 31, 2014	$262,087	$100,696	$(97,374)	$265,408
			Running totals
			$401,205.99	$(135,796.86)

Polls

General election
Poll	Rodney Davis	Ann Callis	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
CQ Roll Call Sept. 17-18, 2014	55%	36%	7%	+/-4.9	400
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate 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 editor@ballotpedia.org

Democratic primary
Poll	Ann Callis	George Gollin	David Green	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
We Ask America March 9, 2014	41%	25%	7%	27%	+/-2.91	1,136
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate 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 editor@ballotpedia.org

Republican primary
Poll	Rodney Davis	Erika Harold	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Opinion Strategies November 19-21, 2013	63%	15%	22%	+/-4.9	400
We Ask America October 10, 2013	63%	16%	21%	+/-3.34	859
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate 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 editor@ballotpedia.org

District history

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

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	Rodney 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.

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

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2014
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
• Battleground Friday: Illinois' 13th Congressional District

External links

• Illinois State Board of Elections

Footnotes

[show]

Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Duckworth (D)

Dick Durbin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jonathan Jackson (D)

District 2

Robin Kelly (D)

District 3

Delia Ramirez (D)

District 4

Jesus Garcia (D)

District 5

Mike Quigley (D)

District 6

Sean Casten (D)

District 7

Danny Davis (D)

District 8

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)

District 9

Jan Schakowsky (D)

District 10

Brad Schneider (D)

District 11

Bill Foster (D)

District 12

Mike Bost (R)

District 13

Nikki Budzinski (D)

District 14

Lauren Underwood (D)

District 15

Mary Miller (R)

District 16

Darin LaHood (R)

District 17

Eric Sorensen (D)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (3)