Darin LaHood

Darin LaHood, the Peoria Republican representing Illinois’ 16th Congressional District, appears to be heading back to Washington.

With 56% of votes counted, the Associated Press called the race for LaHood at 9:01 p.m. Tuesday. At the time of publication, LaHood had 113,355 votes to the 79,037 votes for his Democratic opponent, Paul Nolley of Roscoe Township.

Election results are unofficial until certified.

LaHood, a Peoria Republican, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. He previously served in the Illinois Senate from 2011 to 2015 and as an assistant U.S. attorney.

LaHood said he helped deliver a federal tax cut that included no taxes on tips or overtime, a doubling of the child tax credit and relief from what he called the “Death Tax,” a term for the federal estate tax.

The first bill he would file in the 120th Congress would build on work to expand the supply of affordable housing, he said, with updated legislation to further expand access to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

His priorities include continued tax relief, cutting federal spending that he said drives inflation and fighting tariffs that are hurting farmers, LaHood said, and he has publicly called for reducing the current tariff structure.

“Families in central and northern Illinois are getting squeezed from every direction — high taxes, grocery bills, and energy costs that have all outpaced paychecks,” LaHood said. “Ultimately, tariffs are taxes - they are a tax on our farmers and manufacturers and impact consumer prices,” he said.

Nolley, a Roscoe Township Democrat, is executive director of Project First Rate and has not previously held office.

The first bill he would file, Nolley said, would shore up the Social Security trust fund by making incomes above $250,000 a year subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

“Someone making millions each year should not pay the same amount into Social Security as the average working person trying to make ends meet,” Nolley said. “The current political system rewards corruption, backroom deals, and the revolving door between Washington and powerful lobbying firms,” he said.

He would also vote to assert Congress’ constitutional authority over war and tariffs, he said, and he listed ending the Iran war and the global trade war among his top priorities to lower costs.

He supports a national health insurance program like a Medicare for All model and wants to overturn the Citizens United decision, Nolley said.

Originally from the northwest suburbs, Emily K. Coleman is Shaw Media's editor for newsletters and engagement. She previously served as the Northwest Herald's editor and spent about seven years as a reporter with Shaw Media, first covering Dixon for Sauk Valley Media and then various communities within McHenry County from 2012 to 2016.

Emily Beebe is a reporter for Shaw Local News Network