News Local/State

Congressman Rodney Davis Running For Re-Election

By Sean Powers
 

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) says he is running for re-election. Davis kicked off a campaign tour on Monday across the 13th Congressional District, with his first stop in Urbana.

His entrance into Congress happened in a pretty unconventional way. Before narrowly winning the General Election in Nov. 2012, GOP chairs in the 13th district picked him to replace Urbana Congressman Tim Johnson, who announced plans to leave politics shortly after winning the Republican Primary.

“You know, it’s been a whirlwind over the last 16 months," Davis told supporters on the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus. "If you had told me two years ago today that I’d be a member of Congress gearing up for my first re-election bid, I would have said you were crazy."

Davis’ re-election bid comes shortly after his vote to reduce food stamp funding by $40 billion over the next decade. He also joined House Republicans in supporting a plan to keep the government running, while de-funding the health care law.

“Too many Americans are out of work, especially here in the 13th district and we have to put a stop to the endless cycle of unemployment and put Americans back to work,” he said. “ObamaCare is still costing Americans jobs, and has not lived up to its promises."

Davis said he feels certain negotiators will avert a government shutdown, but he said longer term problems remain unaddressed. He referenced a Congressional Budget Office report that estimates without major changes to entitlement programs, the federal debt will reach 100 percent of the Gross Domestic Product in the next 25 years.

“Washington has to live by the same rules that every American family has to live by and that means balancing our budget and only spending what we take in," he said. "Too many Americans are out of work, especially here in the 13th district and we have to put a stop to the endless cycle of unemployment and put Americans back to work.”

With six months to go until the Republican Primary, Davis is up against Urbana Attorney Erika Harold, who also sought the Republican nomination after Tim Johnson’s withdrawal.