Current 13th District Congressman Rodney Davis won’t run for governor next year. According to several news outlets last night, Davis would be announcing that he would campaign for re-election in the newly drawn 15th Congressional District sometime today. Davis made the announcement official at 8AM this morning. Davis will be seeking his 6th term in Congress.
Davis rolled out a long list of endorsements in his official e-mailed announcement this morning including former Congressman John Shimkus with whom Davis worked prior to entering Congress, and fellow Congressman Darin LaHood and Mike Bost along with all the Republican Central Committees across the newly formed district. Davis also earned endorsements from state politicians across the 15th District including Steve McClure, C.D. Davidsmeyer, Jil Tracy, Norine Hammond, Avery Bourne, Tim Butler, Randy Frese, and Mike Murphy among others.
According to WCIA’s Mark Maxwell who first broke the news on Twitter last night, Davis allegedly has his hopes set high if he returns to Congress. If the Republicans re-take the House in 2022, Davis could become chair of the Administration Committee in 2023, and as the current ranking Republican member of the Highways and Transit subcommittee, he’d be next in line to become the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 2025.
Davis released the following statement this morning: “My family and I are excited to announce that I am running for re-election to Congress. I’ve been proud to fight hard for and work on behalf of central Illinois families in this district for many years, both as a member of Congress and as a staffer to my good friend and mentor, former Congressman John Shimkus. Democrats in Washington have put our nation in crisis with their big government, socialist schemes and dreams. Republicans are primed to retake the House next year, and I’m ready to work with a new Republican majority to finally fire Nancy Pelosi and hold the Biden Administration accountable for their massive failures. I look forward to campaigning hard and earning every vote in this district over the next year.“
With Davis’ announcement today, the only member of the Illinois GOP Congressional coalition to not make a decision for their fate in 2022 is first-term incumbent Congresswoman Mary Miller. Miller’s home in Oakland sits just outside the newly drawn 15th District. If Miller were to run, she would either have to primary Mike Bost in the south or move just a few miles north and primary against Davis in the 15th District.