The Illinois 13th Congressional District is a Democratic-leaning seat that runs across central and southwestern Illinois, tying Springfield to Champaign-Urbana in the east and the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis in the southwest. It has been represented since January 2023 by Democrat Nikki Budzinski, who was reelected in 2024 and faces both a primary challenger and Republican nominee Jeff Wilson in November 2026.
Where the District Is
The district was redrawn after the 2020 census and now covers parts of more than 30 counties.1Loyola Law School. Illinois Redistricting Springfield, the state capital, sits at its center. Decatur and the Champaign-Urbana metro area anchor the eastern end. To the southwest, near St. Louis, the district picks up Granite City, Alton, Collinsville, Edwardsville, and parts of Belleville and O’Fallon.2Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. Our District Smaller cities in between include Jacksonville, Lincoln, Mattoon, Charleston, Effingham, Vandalia, Hillsboro, Litchfield, and Monticello.3U.S. Census Bureau. Congressional District 118 IL-13 Map Historic Route 66 runs through the district from Springfield down to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in Granite City.
Who Lives and Works There
The district’s population runs about 730,000 to 742,000 depending on the survey year.4Census Reporter. Congressional District 13, IL It is roughly 65 to 68 percent white, 19 percent Black, 5 percent Asian, and 4 to 6 percent Hispanic.5U.S. Census Bureau. Congressional District 119 IL-13 Map Median household income is around $65,000, and about 16 percent of residents live below the poverty line. About 35 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, a figure lifted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Health care and social assistance is the district’s largest employment sector, followed by educational services and retail trade, with a workforce of around 347,000.6Data USA. Congressional District 13, IL Corn and other row-crop agriculture matters too: Budzinski has pushed year-round E15 ethanol sales on behalf of the district’s farmers.7Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. Budzinski Stands Up for Farmers, Demands Sale of Year-Round E15 The University of Illinois is a major economic driver; Budzinski has said she helped the school secure more than $215 million in federal grants and worked with it to land the iFAB tech hub designation, which brought $51 million for bio-manufacturing and fermentation research.8Daily Illini. 13th District Shows Importance of Colleges to Districts
The Current Representative
Nikki Budzinski, a Democrat and University of Illinois graduate, took office in January 2023 and defeated Republican Joshua Loyd in 2024 by more than 16 points, 58.1 percent to 41.9 percent.9NBC News. Illinois U.S. House District 13 Results Before Congress, she spent much of her career in the labor movement, working for the International Association of Fire Fighters and the United Food and Commercial Workers.10LegiStorm. Nicole Jai Budzinski She later served as a senior adviser to Governor J.B. Pritzker, where she led negotiations to raise Illinois’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and chaired the Broadband Advisory Board. In 2021, she became chief of staff at the federal Office of Management and Budget, helping implement the American Rescue Plan.11Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. About Nikki
Committees and Caucuses
In the 119th Congress, Budzinski sits on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.12Clerk of the U.S. House. Rep. Nikki Budzinski Committee Assignments13Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. Committees and Caucuses11Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. About Nikki14National Association of Letter Carriers. House Establishes Bipartisan Postal Caucus
Policy Priorities
Budzinski has co-led the bipartisan Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to allow year-round E15 sales, was an original cosponsor of the Faster Labor Contracts Act that passed the House in June 2026, and has advocated for immigration reform tying legal status for immigrant workers to stronger border security as a way to address agricultural labor shortages.7Office of Rep. Nikki Budzinski. Budzinski Stands Up for Farmers, Demands Sale of Year-Round E1515Brownfield Ag News. Congresswoman Says Immigration Reform Can Help Address Labor Shortages On health care, she has opposed Medicaid cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and called potential expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits a “red line,” warning it could more than double marketplace premiums for hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents.16NPR Illinois. Budzinski Urges Bipartisan Deal to End Shutdown but Draws Red Line on Health Care
The 2026 Race
Budzinski drew a primary challenge from Dylan Blaha, an Army veteran and cancer research scientist from Urbana who announced his campaign in April 2025.17St. Louis Public Radio. Progressive Democrat Dylan Blaha Aims Primary at Nikki Budzinski18State Journal-Register. Budzinski Faces Challenger in Blaha for 13th District19Dylan for Illinois. Campaign Launch Announcement Budzinski has pointed to her bipartisan record in response.
The Republican primary in March 2026 pitted Jeff Wilson against 2024 nominee Joshua Loyd. Wilson, a 72-year-old Navy veteran, retired nuclear engineer, and Champaign County Board member, won with 67 percent of the vote.20WICS NewsChannel 20. Jeff Wilson Wins Republican Primary in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District He is campaigning on an “America First” platform including support for President Trump’s agenda, expanded nuclear energy, border security, and lower taxes.21WTTW. Jeff Wilson Voter Guide
Budzinski enters the general election with a substantial financial edge. Federal Election Commission filings through March 2026 show her campaign had raised about $2.46 million for the cycle and held roughly $2.61 million in cash on hand with no outstanding debt.22Federal Election Commission. Nikki Budzinski Financial Summary
How the Current Lines Were Drawn
Illinois lost one congressional seat after the 2020 census, dropping from 18 to 17. The Democratic-controlled state legislature drew the new map, and Governor Pritzker signed it into law on November 23, 2021. Unlike the state legislative maps, the congressional plan does not appear to have been challenged in court.1Loyola Law School. Illinois Redistricting The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave the overall Illinois congressional map an “F” grade, citing a Democratic advantage, low competitiveness, non-compact districts, and 32 county splits.23Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Illinois 2021 Congressional Plan Report Card The old 13th, held from 2013 to 2023 by Republican Rodney Davis, covered a somewhat different central Illinois footprint; the redrawn lines made the new 13th considerably more favorable to Democrats.24Congress.gov. Rodney Davis