Randy Raley
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Randy Raley (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 15th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 17, 2026.
Raley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Randy Raley was born in Moline, Illinois. He earned a high school diploma from United Township High School. Raley's career experience includes working as a radio host, advertising director, and district manager for AutoTrader.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Illinois' 15th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Randy Raley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Raley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Expand all | Collapse all
Born to a union steward and a waitress, I was born in Moline and moved to farm in Ava Mo when I was 10. I lived on a working farm until moving back to Moline when I was 15. Going from a Lilly white class of 85 to a class of almost 800 and 30% of the kids did not look like me. That taught me how important it was to get along without fellow a man. After high school I went to work for JI Case in the Quad Cities working my way up to being a union steward myself. I became involved in the radio profession at 20, moved to Kansas City at 23, and to St. Louis in 1985, joining KSHE 95 and spent 13 years doing the afternoon drive time show. After bouncing around a bit, I became the advertising directors for 3 small rural newspapers about 60 miles south of St. Louis. I then became the District Manager for Autotrader.com. I got back into radio and currently have a part time job at a small radio station south of St. Louis. Having worked all of my adult life, I am now on social security and Medicare, wondering how long those entitlements will be around. I live in Highland with a dog and a cat. I have two daughters and a step son, spread from Los Angele to Raleigh North Carolina.
- Protect and strengthen family farms. Make broadband available to every residence in the district. Expand crop insurance and disaster options. Make sure farmers are getting a fair price, invest in local farmer's markets
- Release federal funding for infrastructure projects from new water treatment plants, water towers, roads and bridges, etc. More good paying jobs that help lift up the middle class
- Healthcare. Let's keep hospitals and nursing homes open and funded. Expand local mental health and addiction centers in the district. Better pay for nurses and caregivers.
Equal rights for all. Reproductive rights. Clean energy
My brother. he did two tours in Viet Nam and was a war hero. he fought hand to hand with the Viet Cong in the jungle for almost 36 hours. he radioed air and ground troops and saved a lot of his men. I would like to follow the example of Jimmy Carter who gave his life to charity up until the day he died.
Honesty. Transparency. The willingness to compromise for the greater good. The ability to over deliver on promises made to the people in the district. To be a true representation of the district.
The ability to listen and the ability to communicate. the ability to speak well in front of large crowds. A connection to the district. I share the frustrations of the 15th when it comes to our lack of representation. I will go where the people go and meet them where they are. Iw ill schedule town halls, meetings etc. I am accountable for my actions and feel I can be trusted. My personal values are on display all of the time.
To listen to the needs of the people residing in the district. To draft legislation to benefit the common good. To participate in committees, to vote on legislation. To get district interests served. Working on in case studies for constituents to help navigate red tape. being in touch with constituents, hosting town halls, etc.
That I served my family, friends and my country well.
The Cuban Missile Crisis. It was the very first time I noticed fear in my parents. You could see the worry on my mom's face. I was 7.
De tasseling corn at 12. Still the worst job I've ever had. I had it for two years.
Lord of the Flies. It prepared me for the actions of people in my future.
Addiction. My mother was addicted to alcohol and nicotine at an early age and these genes got passed down, but after a few scares and talking to someone, I am confident where I am today.
It originates laws, taxes. House members are closer to their constituents. It has a wider range of people from a wider swath of America. Powers to impeach. the house moves at a quicker pace.
Yes and no. Experience allows better ways to navigate the complexities of Congress. Knowledge of policy and prior relationships help. But, outsiders bring fresh new ideas. Some voters may be weary of lifetime politicians. Experience in the outside world may be as important to bring to the table
Political division. We are becoming more partisan which makes working on solutions harder. Misinformation. Income inequity and the decline of our rural farming base. Global security and Climate change.
No. It will be hard to accomplish anything when you have to turn around and think about running again.
I think three terms is quite enough for anyone in Congress.
Robert Kennedy Sr. Barack Obama current would be Melanie Stansbury from New Mexico
Just the number of stories I've heard about people losing Medicaid in the district and where will they go? where will the nurses, doctors, ENTs and orderlies go for employment if many hospitals close.
If I had a nickel for every time I didn't know what was going on, I would wonder where all of these nickels came from.
A compromise starts out with what two persons want and a successful compromise allows both parties to get what they need.
The Constitution gives the House the power of the purse for a reason—because it’s the chamber closest to the people. If I’m elected, I’ll use that responsibility to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely and come back to communities like ours, not just big cities and bureaucracies. Every dollar we approve should be tied to real results: better roads and broadband, support for family farms, good schools, and keeping rural hospitals open. I’ll be a voice for fiscal responsibility and for making sure Washington remembers who they work for—the taxpayers.
Oversight of government. Accountability for abuse and fraud. To fact find and shape laws beneficial to the common good
Agricultural, to help set farm prices, rural concerns, conservation. Transportation, our infrastructure is in need of serious help and so does my district. Ways and Means and Space.
I believe the government should share openly how money is spent. There should be a clear path on how money is collected and spent. Full public exposure. This builds trust between citizens and government
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from the Federal Elections Commission. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 29, 2025
Senators
Representatives
Democratic Party (16)
Republican Party (3)
