Despite a massive Democratic wave that swept across the country in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Downstate Illinois voters largely stuck with their Republican incumbents in Congressional races.
Democrats captured control of both chambers of Congress nationwide, but Illinois’ 12th, 15th, and 16th Congressional Districts remained firmly in Republican hands.
In the 15th District, Republican incumbent Mary Miller won a fourth term in Congress, defeating Metro East nurse and Democratic challenger Jennifer Todd.
Unofficial election returns showed Miller receiving 184,953 votes to Todd’s 93,579.
Todd briefly led in early returns Tuesday evening, but that advantage disappeared as rural counties began reporting. Miller ultimately carried the district by nearly a two-to-one margin.
Miller’s largest margins came from rural counties along the western and eastern edges of the district.
In Western Illinois, Miller enjoyed leads of more than 50 percentage points in Hancock, Pike, Schuyler, Scott, and Greene counties. Adams County also delivered a commanding 44-point advantage.
Similar margins appeared in Eastern Illinois, where Miller led by more than 40 percentage points in Moultrie, Edgar, and Vermilion counties.
However, some portions of the district showed more competitive results than in previous elections, including areas of Madison, Sangamon, Champaign, Mercer, and Coles counties.
In the 12th Congressional District, Republican Mike Bost easily secured another term, remaining the longest-serving Republican member of Illinois’ Congressional delegation.
The 16th District saw Republican Darin LaHood face a more competitive challenge from Democrat Paul Nolley. While early returns showed a closer contest, LaHood eventually pulled away as heavily Republican rural precincts reported their totals.
On the Democratic side, incumbents Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorensen comfortably won re-election in the 13th and 17th Congressional Districts, respectively.
Budzinski and Sorensen remain the only Democrats representing Illinois Congressional districts outside the greater Chicago metropolitan region.
The results leave Downstate Illinois’ Congressional representation unchanged, despite a national election that saw voters deliver sweeping gains to Democrats.