U.S. House, Illinois 13th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Illinois's 13th Congressional District?
Nikki Budzinski has the strongest record in Illinois's 13th Congressional District. Nikki Budzinski scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jeff Wilson at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Nikki Budzinski's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jeff Wilson's highest marks are relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Nikki Budzinski
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Jeff Wilson
50 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Nikki Budzinski
- On the record2024 to 2025
Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act in March 2024 and January 2025 while Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 66, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 6, 2025
- Credit2025-2026
Ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
- Credit2025-08-14
Her Improving Veterans' Experience Act (H.R. 3578) was incorporated into the PRO Veterans Act of 2025, signed Aug. 14, 2025.
- Credit2025-11
Pressed the owner of Sangamon Towers, a HUD-assisted Springfield apartment building, in a letter over residents’ complaints about living conditions.
Source: Capitol News Illinois, Nov. 2025
- Credit2025-09
The Congressional Management Foundation named her office a 2025 Democracy Award winner for Excellence in Congressional Management, one of two offices chosen.
Source: Congressional Management Foundation, 2025 Democracy Awards
Jeff Wilson
- On the record2026-02
Lives in Mahomet, in the 15th Congressional District, while running in the 13th; he noted federal law requires only state residence.
Sources: IPM Newsroom, Feb. 2026, FEC Form 2, statement of candidacy
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Nikki Budzinski. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 14, 2026; no periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077489, House Committee on Ethics site search for Budzinski, FEC administrative fines search
Jeff Wilson. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed May 11, 2026. No FEC administrative fine naming his committee found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076211
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Nikki Budzinski. Voted for the Laken Riley Act in March 2024 and again in January 2025 when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted no, among other recorded breaks with her party's leadership.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 66, March 7, 2024 (Laken Riley Act), House Clerk Roll Call 6, Jan. 7, 2025 (Laken Riley Act)
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Nikki Budzinski. Held a constituent forum in February 2025 and an in-person town hall in Chatham in April 2025 attended by more than 370 people. No 2026 general election debate with Jeff Wilson found.
Sources: IPM Newsroom, March 2025, Office site, April 17, 2025
Jeff Wilson. Took part in a February 2026 candidate forum hosted by IPM News with the League of Women Voters of Champaign County and the NAACP.
Source: IPM Newsroom, Feb. 27, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Nikki Budzinski. Worked in labor unions, as a senior adviser to Gov. JB Pritzker and as chief of staff of the federal Office of Management and Budget before Congress. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Nikki Budzinski, House Committee on Ethics site search for Budzinski
Jeff Wilson. Served in the Navy on a nuclear submarine, worked more than 30 years in the Illinois nuclear industry and sits on the Champaign County Board. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: Daily Illini, Sept. 18, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Nikki Budzinski. Has held a House seat since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: GovTrack, Nikki Budzinski, House Committee on Ethics site search for Budzinski
Jeff Wilson. Served in the Navy and holds sworn local office on the Champaign County Board, with no official finding of misuse of office.
Sources: Daily Illini, Sept. 18, 2026, Ballotpedia, Jeff Wilson
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Nikki Budzinski. In the U.S. House since January 2023, completing a second term, after senior posts in the Illinois governor's office and the federal Office of Management and Budget.
Sources: GovTrack, Nikki Budzinski, Ballotpedia, Nikki Budzinski
Jeff Wilson. Champaign County Board member, a Navy submarine veteran and a retired nuclear engineer with a master's degree from the University of Illinois.
Sources: IPM Newsroom, Feb. 2026, Daily Illini, Sept. 18, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Nikki Budzinski. Ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization and a member of the Agriculture Committee; vice chair for policy of the New Democrat Coalition.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Chicago Tribune editorial, Oct. 6, 2026
Jeff Wilson. Publishes positions on costs, energy, schools, the border and farming in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Nikki Budzinski. Offers an email newsletter and publishes issue pages on her House site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Contact, Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Nikki Budzinski
Jeff Wilson. Publishes an issues page and took part in a candidate forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, IPM Newsroom, Feb. 27, 2026, Ballotpedia, Jeff Wilson
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Nikki Budzinski. Lives in Springfield, in the district; born in Peoria. About 53 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Illinois.
Sources: IPM Newsroom, March 2024, FEC contribution totals by state
Jeff Wilson. Lives in Mahomet, in the 15th District, outside the 13th, per his FEC statement of candidacy and his own account to IPM. About 96 percent of itemized individual contributions came from Illinois.
Sources: FEC Form 2, statement of candidacy, Feb. 21, 2025, IPM Newsroom, Feb. 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Nikki Budzinski. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jeff Wilson. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine naming his committee found.
Source: FEC candidate page
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Nikki Budzinski. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.244 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: her Improving Veterans' Experience Act was enacted in the PRO Veterans Act, signed Aug. 14, 2025.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 3578 (119th Congress)
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Nikki Budzinski. Missed 5 of 1,917 roll call votes, 0.3 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Nikki Budzinski. Runs district offices in Springfield, Collinsville, Champaign and Decatur and offers agency assistance. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Contact, Office site, home page
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Nikki Budzinski. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.00671 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 131 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Nikki Budzinski. No public record found.
Jeff Wilson. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Illinois's 13th Congressional District?
Nikki Budzinski has the strongest record in Illinois's 13th Congressional District. Nikki Budzinski scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jeff Wilson at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Nikki Budzinski's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jeff Wilson's highest marks are relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Illinois's 13th Congressional District in 2026?
Nikki Budzinski (Democratic, incumbent), Jeff Wilson (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Nikki Budzinski a good candidate for Congress?
Nikki Budzinski scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jeff Wilson a good candidate for Congress?
Jeff Wilson scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Illinois race scored, and the Illinois 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.