EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (Legal Newsline) – With only two months remaining until Election Day, the two contenders duking it out in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District have stepped up their media efforts.
However, one of the candidates, Democratic challenger Ann Callis, may be losing support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as she enters the homestretch in her battle to unseat GOP Rep Rodney Davis, a Tuesday article in Politico suggests.
Callis, a former Madison County judge, stepped down from a 19-year career on the bench last year to make a run at Congress.
The Politico article states Democrats have gradually narrowed their focus to protecting jeopardized incumbents and are likely to seriously invest in only the dozen or so candidates seen as realistic contenders for Republican-held seats.
For instance, at the start of the cycle national Democrats had been talking up Callis, but she has not been receiving much attention lately and is now seen as unlikely to win, the article states.
In a statement to The News-Gazette, DCCC spokesman Brandon Lorenz said, "Judge Callis is running a strong campaign talking about her record of reform and holding Congressman Davis accountable for keeping perks like his taxpayer-funded gym during his government shutdown."
The DCCC has not canceled any TV time reserved for the Callis’s campaign next month, the article states.
Meanwhile, the Davis campaign is trucking along, launching its second television ad on Wednesday.
The ad features Davis’ 17-year old daughter, Toryn, who shares her concerns regarding the cost of going to college, and how proud she is of her father and the work he is doing in Congress to make college more affordable and create jobs.
“Next year I’ll be a freshman in college,” Toryn Davis says in the video.
“I’m a little nervous but excited to get away from my brothers. It’s also a little scary to think about how much college costs. That’s why I’m so proud of my dad, Rodney Davis. In Congress, he’s fighting to make college more affordable and working just as hard to create jobs, so we all have a better future.”
Davis supported H.R. 1911, a bill aimed at preventing student loan rates from doubling.
In July, he also supported H.R. 4983, a bill that would require students and parents participating in the federal student loan program to receive annual counseling to ensure borrowers are aware of their debts and obligations on a yearly basis.
Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com
IL13 race update: Politico speculates Callis support waning, Davis releases second TV ad
