By CARL GREEN
Illinois Correspondent
Edwardsville, IL – The Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois 13th District may have a better chance at winning in November than previously thought.
The nationally followed, non-partisan Cook Political Report has changed its rating for the district from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” which means they now think Democratic nominee Betsy Londrigan, of Springfield, has a decent chance of winning – especially if Democrats put together a strong national wave in opposition to the national anti-worker, pro-corporate push by Republicans. Londrigan has the endorsement of the Illinois AFL-CIO
Republican incumbent Rodney Davis, of Taylorville, won in the last two elections but has also dropped in the AFL-CIO voting scorecard for his pro-corporate and anti-worker votes.
The district stretches across central Illinois to include Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal and sweeps southward to take in much of Madison County including Edwardsville.
Cook analyst Dave Wasserman cited Londrigan’s strong candidacy and focus on health care as reasons why the race is becoming more competitive.
“This is the kind of seat that could be problematic for Republicans in a wave, and Democrats have a credible candidate in Springfield fundraising consultant Betsy Dirksen Londrigan,” he wrote.
“To win, Democrats will need to convince voters that behind Davis’s likable demeanor lurks a voting record out of step with the district. And the more GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner looks doomed to defeat, the more plausible Londrigan’s path could become.”
Londrigan campaign manager Kate Martucci said the change also reflects the hard-working campaign Londrigan has been pursuing.
“This confirms what we are already seeing on the ground here in central Illinois: Betsy is exciting voters and making this a race through her hard work and her focus on issues that matter to Illinois families every day, like protecting their access to affordable health care,” Martucci said.
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