Jeff Wilson, a former naval submariner, retired nuclear engineer and current Champaign County Board member, believes he is the Republican who could flip Illinois’ 13th Congressional District in November.
The Cook Political Report rates the district, which covers most of the Metro East up to Springfield and over to Urbana-Champaign, as a safe Democratic seat in the 2026 midterm election.
“It’s still winnable because the heart of the issue is really affordability, economics and common sense,” Wilson said on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “I’m a common sense conservative. I believe in solutions that benefit our society, that benefits us here in Illinois.”
As early voting gets underway on Thursday in Illinois, Republicans will need to decide if Wilson is the better candidate to represent their party in a seat that’s currently held by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski. Joshua Loyd, the GOP’s nominee in 2024 who lost to Budzinski by 16 percentage points, opposes Wilson for the nomination. Wilson holds a considerable fundraising lead over Loyd.
Wilson believes his lengthy experience in the military, as a nuclear engineer and having served in local government since 2024 would serve voters well. Democrats currently hold a 16-6 advantage over Republicans on the Champaign County Board, which shows he’s been able to navigate political negotiations in a superminority, he said.
“All these attributes is what you need in your Congressman,” Wilson said. “I would say those are the huge differentiators.”
Wilson resides in Mahomet, which is just a couple of miles outside the 13th Congressional District. Wilson and his wife live in the 15th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Mary Miller.
Wilson noted that federal election law does not require candidates to live in the district in which they are running for office. Rather, it requires them to live in the state.
“We’ve spent so many years in the Mahomet-Champaign area,” Wilson said.
Wilson describes himself as a “pro-life, pro-gun constitutional federalist.” He’s also a supporter of President Donald Trump.
He believes Trump’s greatest impact has been along the U.S.-Mexico border and illegal immigration. Migrant encounters at the border fell to their lowest level since 1970 last year, according to a Pew Research analysis of U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Regarding the ongoing deployment of federal immigration agents to Minneapolis and the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents, Wilson defended the effort, arguing the Immigration and Customers Enforcement deployed to apprehend criminals. He also said he doesn’t want to rush to judge the killing before an investigation has concluded.
“If the law enforcement officer is incorrect, inappropriate, whatever, then justice should be served,” Wilson said. “But nevertheless, ICE should not be inhibited or restricted or frustrated in carrying out their mission, which is really to protect the United States with respect to immigration.”
Wilson said he opposes articles of impeachment brought against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Before the partial government shutdown that’s centered around Homeland Security funding, Wilson said he would not support some of the requests made by Congressional Democrats, like prohibiting agents from wearing masks, requiring warrants before agents can enter homes or mandating they wear body cameras, which Noem has since implemented.
“I think that the ICE agents should execute federal law in the most efficient and humane way possible,” Wilson said. “I don’t really agree with the extra restrictions.”
His policy regarding affordability, arguably one of the most consequential issues of the midterms, centers around lowering taxes, reducing regulation and increasing American energy production via cleaner versions of fossil fuels that would lead to lower utility prices, he said.
“Government handouts to improve affordability is not affordability,” Wilson said. “But (it’s) unleashing the economic, innovative strength of Americans that results in a better affordability.”
The now expired subsidies for the Affordable Care Act would not have drawn his support, he said. While he backs safety nets, subsidies are not the way to decrease health care costs, he said. Rather, the U.S. should find ways to increase competition among health care providers or further cap the costs of medication, he said.
However, Wilson does support Trump’s pitch to send Americans $2,000 checks that would funded by tariff revenue.
“It’s actually quite an innovative idea,” Wilson said. “When have you ever thought of the government taking your money and giving it back to you. That’s kind of unique.”
Trump’s efforts to take over Greenland is the right move for U.S. national security and keep the shipping lanes in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, Wilson said. Other Republicans have been critical of Trump for alienating NATO allies. However, Wilson compares the geopolitical negotiation to a kitchen.
“Sometimes in the kitchen, things get really messy,” he said. “But it’s the end result that we want. So it’s not for me to judge on means and methods.”