U.S. House, Illinois 15th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Illinois's 15th Congressional District?
Mary Miller has the strongest record in Illinois's 15th Congressional District. Mary Miller scores 52 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Mary Miller's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Jennifer Todd (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Mary Miller
On the ballot as Mary E. Miller
52 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- 38
Democratic
Jennifer Todd
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 45
- 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.
Mary Miller
- On the record2025-06-06
In a June 6, 2025 post she later deleted, called it 'deeply troubling' that a Sikh guest chaplain led the House prayer, first misidentifying him as Muslim; members of both parties criticized it.
Sources: FOX 32 Chicago, June 7, 2025, CNN via ABC17 News, June 6, 2025, The Hill via Yahoo News, June 6, 2025
- On the record2023-01
Voted for Jim Jordan and then Byron Donalds, not her party's nominee Kevin McCarthy, on the first 11 ballots of the January 2023 speaker election, then voted for McCarthy from the 12th ballot.
Sources: House Clerk, Roll Call 2, Jan. 3, 2023, House Clerk, Roll Call 13, Jan. 5, 2023, NBC Chicago, Oct. 3, 2023
- On the record2022-06-25
At a June 2022 rally with Donald Trump she called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a 'victory for white life'; her campaign said the comment was a gaffe.
Source: IPM Newsroom, June 2022
- On the record2022-04-17
PolitiFact rated False her April 8, 2022 post that the Biden administration was telling children puberty blockers are reversible.
Source: PolitiFact, April 17, 2022
- On the record2021-01
Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- On the record2021-01-05
Said 'Hitler was right on one thing' while quoting him at a Jan. 5, 2021 rally outside the Capitol; days later she apologized for any harm her words caused.
Source: IPM Newsroom, Jan. 8, 2021
- On the record2021-09-28
Was fined under House Resolution 38 and House Rule II; the House Ethics Committee did not agree to her appeal. Chamber-rule fine, not scored (E22).
- On the record2021-10-31
PolitiFact rated Pants on Fire her Oct. 23, 2021 post that a migrant caravan from Tapachula, Mexico was 'the population of Minneapolis.'
Source: PolitiFact, Oct. 31, 2021
Jennifer Todd
- On the record2026-04
Lives in Edwardsville, less than a mile outside the 15th District, and said she would move to Logan County if elected; federal law requires only state residence.
Sources: St. Louis Public Radio, April 10, 2026, NPR Illinois, April 20, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Mary Miller. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 13, 2026; no periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index. No FEC administrative fine found. A 2021 House fine under House Resolution 38 is a party-line chamber rule fine (E22), not scored.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076451, FEC administrative fines search
Jennifer Todd. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 14, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082846, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Mary Miller. Voted against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the December 2023 defense authorization conference report and the April 2024 Ukraine supplemental, each backed by GOP leaders.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, May 31, 2023 (Fiscal Responsibility Act), House Clerk Roll Call 723, Dec. 2023 (NDAA conference report), House Clerk Roll Call 151, April 20, 2024 (Ukraine supplemental)
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Mary Miller. No public record found.
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Mary Miller. A farmer, business manager and teacher before Congress, in the House since 2021. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee conduct finding; a 2021 fine under a chamber rule is noted under E22.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mary Miller (Illinois), House Ethics Committee statement, Sept. 28, 2021
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Mary Miller. Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021, days after taking office.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Mary Miller. In the U.S. House since January 2021, seeking a fourth term.
Source: GovTrack, Mary Miller
Jennifer Todd. A registered nurse and former school nurse who has also owned a small business. Has not held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Mary Miller. Serves on the Agriculture, Education and Workforce, and House Administration committees, including the Elections subcommittee; holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Jennifer Todd. Publishes positions on affordability, health care, veterans, education and farming, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Mary Miller. Offers an email newsletter from her House office. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Mary Miller (Illinois)
Jennifer Todd. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and publishes an issues page.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Mary Miller. Co-manages a grain and livestock farm outside Oakland in Coles County, a county split between the 12th and 15th districts. About 60 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Illinois.
Sources: IPM Newsroom, Feb. 25, 2020, FEC contribution totals by state
Jennifer Todd. Lives in Edwardsville, less than a mile outside the 15th District, per St. Louis Public Radio; her FEC statement of candidacy lists an Edwardsville address. About 96 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Illinois.
Sources: St. Louis Public Radio, April 10, 2026, FEC Form 2, statement of candidacy, April 6, 2025, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Mary Miller. 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
Jennifer Todd. 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
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Mary Miller. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.595 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.194, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill she sponsored.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Mary Miller
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Mary Miller. Missed 134 of 2,915 roll call votes, 4.6 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Mary Miller. Runs district offices in Mahomet, Quincy and Highland and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Mary Miller. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.60490 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 411 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Jennifer Todd. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Mary Miller. No public record found.
Jennifer Todd. 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 15th Congressional District?
Mary Miller has the strongest record in Illinois's 15th Congressional District. Mary Miller scores 52 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Mary Miller's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Jennifer Todd (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Illinois's 15th Congressional District in 2026?
Mary Miller (Republican, incumbent), Jennifer Todd (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Mary Miller a good candidate for Congress?
Mary Miller scores 52 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jennifer Todd a good candidate for Congress?
Jennifer Todd has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
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.