Democrats in 13th challenge Davis, Trump

[TexasTowelie]

While U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, faces no primary opponent, Democrats are preparing for the fall general election, focusing on November and the incumbent instead of each other in the March 20 primary.

The 13th Congressional District that encompasses a wide swath of central Illinois has long been seen as a swing district where Democrats have a chance, and primary candidates have been spending plenty of time and money arguing that the incumbent is a lackey of an unpopular president. Kent Redfield, a retired political science professor from University of Illinois Springfield, pointed out that the district includes several college campuses, where voters tend to vote liberal.

“In the 13th you’ve got Bloomington-Normal, which is Illinois State,” Redfield said. “You’ve got Champagne-Urbana, which is U of I, you’ve got a chunk of Springfield. … So it has more potential [for a flip] in a competitive year than you would think.”

The five candidates running in the Democratic primary include Jonathan Ebel, a University of Illinois professor in the Department of Religion, David Gill, a physician, Erik Jones, a former assistant state attorney general, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, and Angel Sides, a teacher. Londrigan, who has raised more than $560,000, and Jones, who had raised more than $476,000, are leading the money race, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

Read more: http://illinoistimes.com/article-19782-democrats-in-13th-challenge-davis-trump.html