Illinois's 16th Congressional District: meet the candidates

John Kitover, Darin LaHood, and Paul Nolley are running for Illinois's 16th Congressional District. The district encompasses Roscoe, Rockton, South Beloit, Machesney Park, Harvard, Oregon, Dixon, Galena, and Rochelle (but not Rockford, Freeport, Belvidere, Peoria, or Bloomington/Normal). A Republican has held the seat for 98 of the last 100 years, including Everett Dirksen, John B. Anderson, and Adam Kinzinger.

Incumbent Darin LaHood appears as the only candidate on the Republican primary ballot, but John Kitover is also running, as an official write-in. Write-in votes are not counted for unofficial candidates (such as Mickey Mouse), but they are for official candidates.

Paul Nolley of Roscoe is running unopposed on the Democratic primary ballot.

Our custom is to email several questions to each candidate. We traditionally list the challengers before the incumbents.

John Kitover

Website: https://www.john4congress.com/

Apparently we didn't send candidate questions to Kitover, possibly because the Illinois State Board of Elections removed him from the ballot after objections from Roscoe trustee Michael Wright and State Representative John Cabello. Kitover filed objections against both his opponents but they were overruled. He later filed as an official write-in candidate.

From his website

"John is a Graduate of Niles West High School in Skokie, IL & a Graduate of The Citadel Military College of Charleston, SC (Cum Laude & Beta Gamma Sigma) in Business Admin & a Member of the American Legion Post 777 in Jefferson Park Chicago, IL.  John has worked for Fortune 500 Tech Corps (Google & Microsoft) as well as the US Army, US Dpt of Commerce (Census) & the the US Treasury (IRS) in various support and leadership roles. John is an advocate of Meditation, Exercise, Wisdom Books, Patriotism, History, Education, & Limitless Joy. John believes that Darin LaHood is a traitor to the US Constitution & directly responsible for creating an American Financial Nightmare of Debt ($40 Trillion in Funded Debt & $100 Trillion in Unfunded Debt). Candidate John does not believe we can borrow & spend our way out of this Crisis; John believes we must Grow our way out of this situation through the application of Wisdom, Love, Law, Joy, Strength, & Intelligence."

Paul Nolley

Website: https://www.nolleyforcongress.com/

Q. What do you hope to accomplish in this office in the future?

I hope to introduce and pass legislation that will materially improve the lives of working people throughout the 16th Congressional District. I want to make the economy work more effectively for workers, farmers, and small businesses, and reduce the political and economic power of the forces that have rigged so much of the system against them. I hope to pass legislation that gives our kids and grandkids a chance at having a better future at a time when fewer than half of Americans believe that’s still possible. I want to pass legislation that makes it easier for families to have kids, spend meaningful time with them while they grow, and build a financially stable and secure life.

I also want to bring back real, honest representation to this district, which starts with listening to and meeting the everyday people who keep our local economies running. This means holding regular town halls, listening to, and responding to constituent needs, and serving the people of the district with integrity, unbeholden to the forces of concentrated power. I want to be the type of representative the people of this district are proud to call their own, even when they don’t agree with me on a particular topic or policy, because they know I actually believe what I say and am working on their behalf, not someone else’s.

Q. Tell us about your background and accomplishments.

I’m a lifelong resident of the Rockford area, proud father of two, and husband to my high school sweetheart, Andrea. We both graduated from Hononegah High School and Illinois State University. I’m the son of two working-class parents, neither of whom had college degrees when I was growing up, but they understood how important a strong work ethic is and imparted that to me. I started working at 15 at the Rockford Speedway and, through a variety of jobs and internships, found my way into roles with faith-based and community organizations like the YMCA, United Way, and Habitat for Humanity. I had the privilege of doing great work at each, running, recruiting volunteers for, and fundraising record-breaking amounts for many important youth and family programs.

For the last six years, I’ve run Project First Rate, where I help young people get into apprenticeship programs and fight for high-skill, high-wage blue-collar careers. I’ve exposed thousands of young people to career and educational opportunities they may have never considered – and many of them are now rebuilding our roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure. I’ve been an active volunteer with many organizations since I was a teenager. I’m currently the treasurer of the Workforce Connection, and I serve with local economic development organizations. I’ve led a pretty simple, quiet life until now, but I am so concerned for my kids’ future that I felt compelled to run for office for the first time in my life and help change our nation so that it serves the everyday person instead of the people who gain more control with every passing day.

Q. Why should people in far northern Winnebago County vote for you? How are you different from your opponent Darin LaHood?

Put simply, I want to be a voice for working people in the halls of Congress and represent the interests of the people of the 16th District, not the big money special interests. So many people in our area are fed up with the typical type of politician that says what they think you want to hear, but their voting record shows they serve the most powerful people, multinational corporations, and foreign governments—not their constituents.

My opponent has a decade-long record of being a yes-man for those forces and voting against our interests. I think people would prefer someone who is independent and understands their experiences – someone who wasn’t raised in a well-connected political family. I’ve been a lifelong political independent and come from the working class. My wife and I are working parents, and we know how hard it is to balance the costs of housing, childcare, groceries, insurance, and everything else. I’m not afraid to stand up for the policies and values I believe will strengthen our country and improve people’s lives – even if it means taking on those who have millions of dollars and armies of lobbyists.

Q. Are there any policies or actions of President Trump that you agree with?

I support President Trump’s push to ban institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and his attempt to cap credit card interest rates. Additionally, the President restored order at our southern border after multiple administrations failed to get the situation under control, which was desperately needed. But securing the border should never mean turning federal agencies into unchecked forces of masked agents operating in ways that violate civil liberties and constitutional rights, which we have seen far too many times in recent months.

Darin LaHood 

Website: https://lahoodforcongress.com/

LaHood did not respond to our emailed questions, but his website provides information about him. He appears on the Republican primary ballot.

About

Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Darin attended Spalding Institute/Academy of Our Lady High School before graduating from Loras College with a B.A. and earning his J.D. from John Marshall Law School.

On September 17, 2015, LaHood was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for the 18th District of Illinois, a 19-county district covering Central and West Central Illinois. Following the 2020 Census and redrawing of Illinois’ Congressional maps, LaHood’s home of Dunlap was moved into the newly remodeled 16th District which represents 21 counties, including much of Central and Northern Illinois. The newly constructed district encompasses approximately two thirds of Illinois’ border with Wisconsin, encompassing all of Jo Daviess County and reaching east into McHenry County.  In Central Illinois,  the district includes the majority of Henry County and the entirety of Grundy County,  as well as large portions of Mclean, Peoria and Tazewell counties to the south. Representing a large, rural district that is the 10th largest Congressional District in terms of corn and soybean production, LaHood is a committed conservative and a leading advocate for effective trade policies and regulations that strengthen America’s economy.

As a member of Congress, LaHood continues to focus on common-sense approaches to spending and cutting waste in ways that expand economic opportunity for all Americans. LaHood continues to advocate for policies that maintain strong national security and support of the brave men and women in the military.

Rep. LaHood serves as a member of the Committee on Ways & Means, the oldest committee of the United States Congress and the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives. He also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. As the only Illinois Republican on these committees, his understanding of agribusiness, trade, tariffs, technology, national security, and the impact of government regulation on the economy make him a strong voice for the heartland in Washington.

Prior to joining the U.S. House, LaHood served in the Illinois State Senate from 2011-2015 where he fought to increase transparency and promote ethical behavior in the Land of Lincoln. Before his legislative service, LaHood served nearly a decade as State and Federal Prosecutor specializing in narcotics and felony prosecutions, and five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada. In that position, LaHood was recognized by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his “outstanding work in fighting terrorism” while he served as the Chief Terrorism Prosecutor. He also coordinated enforcement against the most violent offenders and prosecuted felony immigration offenses.

Currently, LaHood resides in Dunlap with his wife, Kristen, and their three sons, McKay, Luke, and Teddy. LaHood and his family are parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul in Peoria. An avid soccer fan, his favorite team is whichever of his sons’ teams is on the field. LaHood remains an avid runner (who has completed 5 marathons), and regular trips to the National Parks with his sons for hiking, fishing, and camping.