Watch Live: 13th Congressional Debate – Budzinski vs. Deering

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Nikki Budzinski (D) on stage with Regan Deering (R) in the IPM studios for the October 6, 2022 13th congressional district debate.
  • Photo: Illinois Public Media

URBANA – On Thursday night, two political newcomers prepared to debate and tell the voters why they should represent the newly drawn 13th congressional district.

The Democratic candidate is Nikki Budzinski. She is a former aide in both the administrations of Governor JB Pritzker and President Joe Biden. 

Republican Regan Deering is a former educator and business leader. 

The Democratically controlled Illinois legislature drew the boundaries of the 13th congressional district in 2021. It irregularly shaped district starts on the west side of Illinois in East St. Louis. It snakes northeast to Springfield, then Decatur, and ends in Champaign-Urbana.

The debate took place in the studios of Illinois Public Media in Urbana. WAND-TV in Decatur is a co-sponsor and the League of Women Voters of Champaign County timed the debate. The moderator is Tinisha Spain of Illinois Public Media. Journalists Brian Mackey, host of The 21st show; Mark Maxwell, political editor of KSDK-TV in St. Louis; and Doug Wolfe, political reporter at WAND-TV in Decatur asked questions of the candidates.

Watch the debate here:

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Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM