Paul Davis (Illinois)

Paul Davis (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 15th Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.^[source]

Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Paul Davis was born in Illinois. He earned a high school diploma from Highland High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1990, and a degree from the University of Illinois in 1992. His career experience includes working as a veterinarian. As of 2025, Davis was affiliated with the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Illinois Veterinary Medical Association, the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, and the Bass Anglers Sportsman's Society.

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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15

Paul Davis, Kyle Nudo, Randy Raley, and Jennifer Todd are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Paul Davis
		Kyle Nudo
		Randy Raley
		Jennifer Todd

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Anthony Barnes (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15

Incumbent Mary Miller, Judy Bowlby, and Ryan Tebrugge are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mary Miller
		Judy Bowlby
		Ryan Tebrugge

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Paul Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Davis' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a veterinarian, not a politician. I've been a practicing veterinarian for over 33 years. 10 years of which, my wife and I owned our own veterinary practice(Davis Pet Hospital). We both still work full time and are managers at Davis Pet Hospital. I'm an avid bass tournament fisherman in my spare time. I'm the Vice President of the Steel City Bassmasters, a large B.A.S.S. Nation club in the metro east area of St. Louis. My father is a retired Air Force Colonel and my late mother was the Executive Director of the Glen/Ed Food Pantry for over 30 years. My wife Karin Crocker and I live in the 15the District with our 2 rescue German Shepherds and a feral cat.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I'm concerned that we've lost our center. Politics has become too extreme, divisive and disconnected from the people whom it is supposed to serve.
• As a veterinarian, I'm a scientist. I'm very concerned about the anti science culture. Public health is not partisan, it affects all of us. Scientific and Medical Research is not political.
• Our inner cities and rural communities need help with infrastructure, affordable(and available healthcare) and education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Health, scientific research, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security and Renewable energy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Professionally, I look up to Dr. Michael Diesen - my first boss and mentor. My goal as a professional and a human being was to be a combination of him and "Hawkeye" Pierce - the M.A.S.H. television character. Mike was a smart, quiet and giving person. I couldn't have asked for a better role model. Alan Alda's character of Hawkeye was a flawed/but passionate professional who cared very deeply about people.

Dr. Gary Gass, was another veterinarian that I worked for. He helped me build my own confidence both personally and professionally. He expressed confidence in me but also helped me develop life perspective.

My late mother, Judith Moody was my greatest influence. Her lives mission was public service, she ran a food pantry for over thirty years. She instilled in me the obligation that will all have to serve or community and fellow human beings.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Garth Brooks song - We Shall be free.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and Integrity. We need honest individuals with a passion for public service.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I will represent my constituents in the 15th district and advocate for them. It is very important that we remain true to our constitution an support every individuals right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember my mother and I meeting my father at the airport when he came home from being stationed in Korea. I was 3 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Highland Veterinary Clinic in Highland Illinois. I began working there between my junior and senior year of high school. I continued to work there on breaks in high school, undergraduate school and veterinary school. When I graduated from veterinary school, I went to work there as their first full time associate veterinarian. I worked there for over two years post graduation from veterinary school. So added up, I worked at my first job for over ten years. I am very grateful to Dr. Michael Diesen and his wife Dolores for showing me what it means to run and small business and to serve a community. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about both of them.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is the most direct connection of the federal government to each individual citizen.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, I think the most important qualification is that of citizen and the willingness to listen to the concerns of all of the citizens of the district.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

I think our greatest challenge is preserving our democracy and finding common ground.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am for term limits.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes on many issues - including infrastructure, improving access to affordable access to healthcare, energy policy to name a few. But I will never compromise anyone's human rights, voting rights or reproductive rights.

What committees interest you?

Agriculture, Education and Labor, Ethics, Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, Science, Space and Technology, Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans' Affairs

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe one of the major problems with or representatives in government is the lack of financial transparency. I would advocate for full financial transparency.

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

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Paul Davis campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Illinois District 15	On the Ballot primary	$54,748	$49,991
Grand total			$54,748	$49,991
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Illinois District 15

Website

Facebook

X

Instagram

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)