U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, 58, has served in Congress for 11 years, first for the 18th District and, for the past four years, as the congressman for Illinois’ 16th District, thanks to post-2020 redistricting. That process made this new 16th District safely Republican, and helps explain the two-thirds majority vote LaHood secured in 2022. The 16th District covers a 21-county region including Galena, Bloomington-Normal and Peoria as well as sections of Rockford.
We endorsed LaHood in 2016, 2018 and 2020, but withdrew our support after he signed onto a Republican-backed Supreme Court brief seeking to invalidate the 2020 presidential election results in four states.
He did, notably, vote to certify the results, also remarking that “Congress does not have, nor should we, the authority to take the power of electing a president away from the people.”
He also distances himself from the president’s tariffs. “Ultimately, tariffs are taxes — they are a tax on our farmers and manufacturers and impact consumer prices,” he told us. “I believe we need consistency and certainty in our trade policy and I do not support issuing blanket tariffs.”
His Democratic opponent, Paul Nolley, 36, is a novice politician. We respect the moxie it takes to aim for Congress at first blush, and he certainly has no problem identifying the issues that matter most not just to his district, but the nation as a whole — namely, that everything costs too much. But our doubts remain that Nolley has enough experience to do the job effectively in D.C., though this campaign could serve as a stepping stone for future runs.
We are hopeful that LaHood is taking steps to reestablish independence from Trump, and believe he has his finger on the pulse of his district, which supported him before the president ever took office. In a post-Trump D.C., LaHood can reassert his stated principles as a fiscal conservative, and we are willing to give him a second chance.
Darin LaHood is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here
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