The Associated Press called the House race for the 13th Congressional District of Illinois on Wednesday morning: a victory for incumbent Democrat Nikki Budzinski. She, seeking her sophomore term, bested Republican Joshua Loyd.
Budzinski is a graduate of the University of Illinois and was first elected in the 2022 midterm election after the redrawing of the 13th district’s borders. The district carves through central and southern Illinois, including Springfield, East St. Louis and parts of Champaign County.
As a member of the New Democrat Coalition, Budzinski sits on multiple subcommittees of the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Before her appointment, she worked extensively with labor unions.
Throughout her first campaign, she pushed for affordable high-speed internet in low-income areas, advocated for veterans and opposed pharmacy benefit managers, which she says are middlemen between pharmaceutical companies and patients, in an attempt to lower drug costs.
