Who's running in Illinois's 16th 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.
2 candidates · ballot order · Darin LaHood 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.
Tax policy and trade, as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
National security and intelligence oversight.
Lowering health care costs, the subject of his telephone town halls.
Support for law enforcement; he is endorsed by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.
The Republican budget agenda, including the 2025 reconciliation bill he voted for.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative since a 2015 special election; re-elected unopposed in 2024.
Member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Former assistant U.S. attorney and Illinois state senator.
Voted for the 2025 reconciliation bill, which cut Medicaid and restricted SNAP eligibility for adults deemed able-bodied.
Holds telephone town halls with constituents; has not held a public in-person town hall in more than nine years, according to Central Illinois Proud reporting.
Arguments in favor
President Trump endorsed his re-election.
— President Donald Trump
The state's largest police union endorsed him.
— Illinois Fraternal Order of Police
Arguments against
Constituents protested outside his Peoria district office over his vote for the 2025 budget package, which cut Medicaid and tightened food assistance rules for Illinoisans.
— Protesters outside LaHood's Peoria office, reported by Central Illinois Proud
His Democratic opponent calls him "an empty suit who answers to the White House, to Speaker Mike Johnson and his corporate donors," and criticises him for going more than nine years without an in-person town hall, calling screened telephone questions cowardice.
— Paul Nolley, his Democratic opponent
What we couldn’t verify
LaHood's response to the town hall criticism was not established beyond his office's description of the telephone town halls as reaching thousands of constituents.
Whether he has agreed to Nolley's request for a debate was not established from sources read.
His 2026 fundraising was not established from sources read.
Protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Rebuilding American manufacturing and family farms through federal investment in rural and Rust Belt communities.
Rooting out pay-to-play corruption.
Strengthening unions and workers' rights.
Making it more affordable to raise a family.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Executive director of Project First Rate, which advocates for union contractors and tradespeople.
Grew up in Rockford; worked in restaurants and on farms before his current career.
Advanced from the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary.
Has not held elected office.
Has campaigned in person across the district, including a Morton town hall attended by about a hundred residents.
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 Nolley by name could be found. Searched: his name with 'criticism', with 'opponent', against National Republican Congressional Committee material, against Darin LaHood's campaign, and against WCBU, 25 News, Central Illinois Proud and Rockford-area 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.
His endorsements and fundraising were not established from sources read.
The district has been safely Republican; how he intends to change that was not established beyond his emphasis on working-class economics.
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. Republican incumbent Darin LaHood won renomination; Democrat Paul Nolley advanced without a contest of note. The district covers rural northern and central Illinois, taking in Peoria and reaching toward Rockford. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia and WCBU, 25 News and Central Illinois Proud reporting. Criticism of Nolley 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.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Illinois State Board of Elections.