The Winner

If you live in Illinois’ 15th Congressional District, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL)) will represent you for a fourth term. Miller defeated Democrat Jennifer Todd, a retired nurse from Edwardsville, after the Associated Press called the race, NewsChannel 20 reported. ​

Unofficial returns show Miller with 184,953 votes, about 66%, to Todd’s 93,579, about 34%, WLDS reported. Todd briefly led in early returns, but Miller pulled ahead as rural counties reported and won by nearly two to one. The results stay unofficial until Illinois certifies them.

The Race

Todd won a four-way Democratic primary on Tuesday, March 17, with about 46% of the vote, while Miller took about 74% against Ryan Tebrugge and Judy Bowlby, according to Ballotpedia’s results for the race. About 88,100 people voted in the Republican primary, nearly three times the roughly 30,000 who voted in the Democratic primary.

Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican. Todd’s share beat the 28.9% that Democrat Paul Lange won against Miller in 2022. Miller had no Democratic opponent in 2024.

The mostly rural district stretches from near St. Louis to the Indiana border, as Axios Chicago described it. About 746,700 people live there, the median age is about 42 and the typical household earns about $74,000 a year.

About 26% of adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Residents are about 91% white, 3% Hispanic, 3% Black and 1% Asian. The unemployment rate is about 4.1%, and about 10% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Miller’s fourth term begins Jan. 3, 2027, when she will serve in the minority after Democrats won control of the House. Miller sits on the House Agriculture Committee. She voted for the farm bill the House passed 224 to 200 on April 30, saying in a statement on her House website that it gives farmers, producers and rural communities certainty and tools to manage risk.

The Senate has not passed that bill. Bloomberg Tax reported that extending farm and nutrition programs is on the list Republicans hope to finish in the lame duck session before Democrats take over.

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