Delia Ramirez

Democratic U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez appears to be headed back to Washington, D.C., to represent the 3rd Congressional District, after The Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

With 57% of the vote counted so far, Ramirez had 100,562 votes to 32,668 votes for Republican opponent Angel Oakley.

Ramirez, 43, has been in the House of Representatives since 2023. She is the first Latina elected to Congress from the Midwest.

An outspoken opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Ramirez introduced a bill in October that would abolish U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The legislation, called the Reimagining Safety Act, also would abolish the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and replace them with an agency focused on protecting civil and human rights.

“Instead of the weapon DHS has proven to be, we need a department built on the best parts of who we are and can be, and the best examples of how we can take care of each other in hard times,” Ramirez said at a press conference introducing the legislation.

“Building something new, creating in a time of destruction, is a revolutionary act. It is proof of our hope and belief in what is possible even in dark times,” she said. “A different world is possible because the people have the power to reshape our government and reimagine how we cultivate safety and collective well-being.”

Oakley, 50, ran unopposed in the Republican primary in March. She also ran as an independent write-in candidate for the 2nd District in 2024.

She voiced strong opposition to her opponent’s proposed Reimagining Safety Act, saying the legislation “repeals terrorism safeguards; leaves drug, weapons and child trafficking enforcement unassigned; ends deportation for non-citizens who vote illegally; releases detainees with criminal records and defunds deportation enforcement.”

A former Winfield village trustee, Oakley describes herself as a fiscal conservative but a strong proponent of restoring the nation’s health and environment.

She supported addressing chronic disease by advocating policies that clean up toxic pollution in the air, soil and water. She also called for decentralized, localized control over schools, energy and food production,

Oakley is the owner of a marketing and communications firm, and a mother of three.