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Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Who's running in Illinois's 13th congressional district

2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Candidates
2
Incumbent
Nikki Budzinski
Parties
Democratic · Republican
State primary
Mar 17

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

2 candidates · ballot order · Nikki Budzinski currently holds this seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Lowering household costs, which she names as her central issue.
  • Protecting health coverage; she voted against the Republican funding bill, saying it failed to address what she called a manufactured health care crisis.
  • Opposing additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
  • Opposing the Republican tax package, which she argued hurts working families.
  • Labour rights, drawing on her career with AFSCME and UFCW.
  • Government transparency.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • U.S. Representative for the 13th District since January 2023; re-elected in 2024 with 58.1%, running about five points ahead of the top of the ticket in the district.
  • Former AFSCME and UFCW official; senior adviser to Gov. JB Pritzker; chief of staff at the federal Office of Management and Budget.
  • Won the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary with more than 81% against Dylan Blaha.
  • Voted for the Laken Riley Act in January 2025 and for H.Res. 488, which included language thanking law enforcement including ICE personnel.
  • Voted against the Republican government funding bill and against the Republican tax package.
  • Reported $2.45 million raised and $2.6 million on hand through the March 2026 filing period, far ahead of her opponent.

Arguments in favor

  • The public-sector, steel and firefighters' unions in the district endorsed her re-election, and the Chicago Tribune's editorial board backed her in the primary.

    — AFSCME Council 31, United Steelworkers District 7, Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois; Chicago Tribune editorial board

  • LGBTQ, environmental, women's and animal-welfare organisations endorsed her as a dependable vote on their priorities.

    — Equality PAC, League of Conservation Voters, National Organization for Women PAC and the Humane World Action Fund

Arguments against

  • Her primary challengers argued she votes with Republicans on immigration and policing, pointing to her support for the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention of immigrants accused of crimes without release, and for a resolution thanking ICE personnel; they also criticised her acceptance of pro-Israel lobbying money and her votes for weapons to Israel.

    — Dylan Blaha and Emily Lux, her 2026 Democratic primary opponents

  • Her Republican opponent argues the district's problem is affordability and that her record has not delivered on it, and that the energy policy she supports pushes up construction, materials and housing costs.

    — Jeff Wilson's campaign

What we couldn’t verify

  • Her campaign website address could not be confirmed against a live page.
  • No National Republican Congressional Committee page naming Budzinski for the 2026 cycle could be found.
  • Her response to the Laken Riley Act criticism was not established from sources read.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:budzinski.house.govheartlandsignal.comdailyillini.comipmnewsroom.orgthetelegraph.combudzinski.house.goven.wikipedia.org

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Affordability as the central issue, which he frames as economics and common sense.
  • Expanding energy generation, including the turbine industry, to bring down energy, construction, materials and housing costs.
  • Tariffs that help the steel industry in Granite City, while acknowledging they hurt agriculture in the district.
  • Health care that is not, in his view, the federal government's responsibility to provide.
  • Accountability in local government; he filed a resolution calling for the Champaign County clerk to resign after a federal indictment.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • Champaign County board member for District 1.
  • Served in the U.S. Navy as a submariner; career in nuclear power generation, from which he is retired.
  • Won the March 17, 2026 Republican primary against Joshua Loyd.
  • Filed a Champaign County board resolution calling for County Clerk Aaron Ammons to resign after Ammons was federally indicted; the board voted along party lines to table it.

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Wilson by name could be found. Searched: his name with 'criticism' and 'controversy', against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee material, against Nikki Budzinski's campaign, and against News-Gazette, Illinois Public Media and Telegraph coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, no case for him is presented either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
  • The Chicago Tribune editorial board endorsed his primary opponent Joshua Loyd rather than Wilson; its reasoning was not located.
  • His campaign website address could not be confirmed against a live page.
  • He is far behind the incumbent in fundraising, according to Telegraph reporting on the March filings.
Their campaign site ↗Sources:ballotpedia.orgstlpr.orgipmnewsroom.orgnews-gazette.comipmnewsroom.org

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

Illinois held its primary on March 17, 2026. Democratic incumbent Nikki Budzinski beat progressive challenger Dylan Blaha with more than 81%; Champaign County board member Jeff Wilson beat Joshua Loyd for the Republican nomination. The district runs across central Illinois from Champaign-Urbana through Decatur and Springfield to the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia and Illinois Public Media reporting. Criticism of Wilson by name could not be found, so his entry carries no arguments in either column.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A Illinois ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

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