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Darren Duncan
Darren Duncan (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 15th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on March 17, 2020.
Biography
Duncan graduated from Western Illinois University in 1993 with a degree in political science, law administration, and agriculture. After receiving his degree, Duncan began working on his family’s farm.[1][2]
Elections
2020
See also: Illinois' 15th Congressional District election, 2020
Illinois' 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Democratic primary)
Illinois' 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 15
Mary Miller defeated Erika Weaver in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 15 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mary Miller (R) | 73.4 | 244,947 |
 | Erika Weaver (D)  | 26.6 | 88,559 | |
| Total votes: 333,506 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15
Erika Weaver defeated Kevin Gaither, Craig Morton, and John Hursey Jr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Erika Weaver | 51.9 | 17,778 |
 | Kevin Gaither | 22.3 | 7,653 | |
 | Craig Morton | 19.2 | 6,576 | |
 | John Hursey Jr. | 6.6 | 2,244 | |
| Total votes: 34,251 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15
Mary Miller defeated Darren Duncan, Kerry Wolff, and Charles Ellington in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 15 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Miller | 57.4 | 48,129 |
 | Darren Duncan | 21.8 | 18,309 | |
| Kerry Wolff | 13.4 | 11,208 | ||
 | Charles Ellington | 7.4 | 6,200 | |
| Total votes: 83,846 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kimberly Wade (R)
- Lori Fuller (R)
- Ron McCuan (R)
- Jacob Lane (R)
- Alex Walker (R)
- John Christian Bambenek (R)
- Kent Gray (R)
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Darren Duncan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
| “ |
Immigration Darren’s family has been farming in Vermilion County since 1820, shortly after Illinois became a state. His ancestors came to this country in search of freedom and opportunity and Darren knows many are still coming to the United States with those intentions today. But he also knows many are skipping the line. Darren supports strengthening security along our southern borders to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the United States. He also understands President Trump and his administration have been dealing with a humanitarian crisis at the border without the necessary resources from the Democratic Congress. Darren believes all applicants for asylum should have their case reviewed in a timely fashion, and Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats should stop choking off funding the administration and the courts need to work through the backlog of applicants. Trade As a lifelong farmer, Darren Duncan understands we need markets around the world to buy our products if he’s going to get good prices when he takes a load of corn or soybeans into his local grain elevator. Darren also recognizes we need fair trade practices from other countries and trade deals that enforce penalties when they try to game the system. That’s why Darren supports President Trump’s efforts to strengthen trade deals for American farmers and manufacturers. Darren strongly supports President Trump's USMCA trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. He also says President Trump should continue to hold the Chinese government accountable for unfair trade practices but should strike a deal that sends more of our products to China. Government Spending Government spending has exploded. When President Obama took office in 2009, the national debt was around $10.6 trillion, today, that number is over $23 trillion. That’s nearly $13 trillion dollars in new debt in a decade with no plan to pay it back. The madness must stop. When you look at the plans of socialist Democrats in Washington, their answer is massively higher taxes with enormous amounts of new spending. Darren knows that’s not the solution. Darren believes the first thing Congress should do is cut spending. Darren’s plan calls for Congress cutting the $134 billion dollar budget deficit and passing a balanced budget. Darren knows you must stop digging the hole if you’re ever going to fill it. Agriculture Darren has spent his life working the ground and raising the crops that help feed the world. He’s the seventh generation to farm that land and he knows it takes good policy to help expand markets for farmers. Darren strongly believes in fair, strong trade deals to send more grain, meat, and food products around the world. He believes in a strong Renewable Fuel Standard to use more Illinois corn and soybeans for ethanol and biodiesel to produce a cheaper, cleaner burning, renewable fuel. Farm income is down nearly 50% in parts of the state over the past three years, leading to struggles for thousands of farmers. Darren knows that strengthening markets and demand for the corn, soybeans, meat and poultry raised in central and southern Illinois will benefit us all. Rebuilding Rural Communities Darren and his family live in Rossville, Illinois; population 1,257. As a lifelong farmer, he knows the struggles facing the middle class in central and southern Illinois. Darren believes Congress should look more like the public and less like Nancy Pelosi and her $30 million net worth. In fact, over 200 members of Congress are millionaires. Darren’s plan to rebuild the middle class starts with improving infrastructure. Too many roads, bridges, and waterways in rural communities are in shambles, making it hard to lure new business to the area. He supports lowering taxes on small businesses to help them grow without the crushing weight of the government holding them back. Furthermore, Darren knows we won’t be able to keep small towns alive if there are no jobs left when our children graduate from high school and college. He supports direct investment in small towns to help lure new jobs, tech, and manufacturing into our small towns to take advantage of the young people we grow without their having to move to Chicago, Indianapolis, or St. Louis. Health Care Darren believes every American who needs access to health care should have access to health care. He supports a system that provides a safety net and protection for those who can’t afford their own insurance. He also believes no American should be rejected for treatment or coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Darren also believes that government intervention into the health care system is not the solution. Darren’s position is the government rarely does anything better than the private sector and that competition drives innovation. He strongly opposes any multi trillion-dollar boondoggle of government run, socialized “Medicare for all” proposed by Democratic Presidential candidates. Darren supports a health care plan that redirects federal premium subsidies and Medicaid expansion money into grants to states. States would be required to use the money to establish programs that make health insurance affordable regardless of income or medical condition. Second Amendment As an avid trap shooter, Darren Duncan strongly supports our constitutional rights to keep and bear arms. He believes Democratic plans to seize guns and ban others is unconstitutional and goes against the freedoms our nation was founded on. I believe in stiff federal penalties for those who unlawfully use or purchase a gun on the black market, and those who sell guns illegally on the black market, especially through interstate "straw man" purchases.[3] |
” |
| —Darren Duncan 2020 campaign website[4] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Darren Duncan 2020 campaign website, "About Darren," accessed March 11, 2020
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Darren Duncan's Biography," accessed March 24, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Darren Duncan 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed March 10, 2020
