Former President Donald Trump-backed Rep. Mary Miller defeated Rep. Rodney Davis for an Illinois House seat nomination in the newly drawn 15th congressional district which forced the two incumbents to face off in what had been deemed one of the most contentious races in the state this election cycle.
Miller beat Davis by 15 points, and she will advance to take on Democratic nominee Paul Lange, who ran unopposed, in November.
During his campaign, Davis portrayed himself as a Trump ally and used photos of himself with Trump in his campaign ads, but he also voted to certify President Joe Biden‘s electoral win and supported the forming of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Davis’ previous district has a moderate base, so he was also at a disadvantage in the more conservative re-drawn district.
Davis conceded before the race was officially called.
“I’d like to congratulate Congresswoman Miller and President Trump on their victory tonight,” Davis wrote in a statement. “This was a hard-fought campaign, and I wish her the best in representing the citizens of the 15th District.”
Miller recently came under fire for comments at a Trump rally on Saturday, where she stood by Trump and told the crowd that the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade was a “historic victory for white life and the Supreme Court yesterday,” though her spokesperson quickly corrected her statement, saying that she had stumbled and meant to say, “a historic victory for the right to life by the Supreme Court.”
