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Junius Rodriguez
Junius Rodriguez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 18th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Rodriguez was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 18th Congressional District of Illinois.[1]
Biography
Rodriguez is a professor at Eureka College where he has taught since 1992. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nicholls State University in 1979. In 1987 he received a master's degree in history from Louisiana State University and he was awarded a Ph.D. from Auburn University in 1992.[2]
Rodriguez is the president of the Eureka Area United Fund board which raises money to support social services. He is also the president of the Heartline and Heart House board, a homeless shelter that serves victims of domestic violence.[2]
From 1980 to 1984, Rodriguez served as a councilman in Lafourche Parish.[2]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 18
Incumbent Darin LaHood defeated Junius Rodriguez in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 18 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Darin LaHood (R) | 67.2 | 195,927 |
 | Junius Rodriguez (D) | 32.8 | 95,486 | |
| Total votes: 291,413 | |||
 = 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 18
Junius Rodriguez defeated Brian Deters and Darrel Miller in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 18 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Junius Rodriguez | 41.7 | 14,990 |
 | Brian Deters | 39.5 | 14,189 | |
 | Darrel Miller | 18.8 | 6,757 | |
| Total votes: 35,936 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 18
Incumbent Darin LaHood defeated Donald Rients in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 18 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Darin LaHood | 78.9 | 61,722 |
 | Donald Rients | 21.1 | 16,535 | |
| Total votes: 78,257 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Darin LaHood (R) defeated Junius Rodriguez (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Rodriguez was added to the ballot in May, after the primaries had already taken place.[3] LaHood was unopposed in the Republican primary on March 15, 2016.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Darin LaHood Incumbent |
72.1% | 250,506 | |
| Democratic | Junius Rodriguez | 27.9% | 96,770 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 347,283 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Rodriguez made the following statement to Ballotpedia regarding his political philosophy:[2]
| “ |
I am a centrist who believes that bipartisanship is key to confronting the issues that face our nation. It is possible to make government functional, but that requires elected officials who are willing to move beyond the confines of partisanship and special interests and work on behalf of the People. I still believe that ours is a citizen democracy in which the wisdom of the ordinary voter still matters. Unless we are willing to surrender to the cynicism of modern political life we must resist the corrosive influence of political dynasties and career politicians who place their political aspirations ahead of the interests of the People they serve. [6] |
” |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Junius Rodriguez Illinois Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Illinois' 18th Congressional District election, 2018
- Illinois' 18th Congressional District election, 2016
- Illinois' 18th Congressional District
Footnotes
- ↑ Journal Star, "Eureka College professor Junius Rodriguez to challenge Rep. Darin LaHood for seat in Congress," May 5, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on July 26, 2016
- ↑ Journal Star, "Eureka College professor Junius Rodriguez to challenge Rep. Darin LaHood for seat in Congress," May 5, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
