Where Regan Deering, 13th congressional district candidate, stands on rising prices, voting, border

Editor's note: This is part of a series of candidate profiles ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.

Regardless of how voters cast their ballots, the Illinois 13th Congressional District will have a new representative following the upcoming general election. Representing the Republicans, Regan Deering won a competitive June primary with four candidates and will face Democrat Nikki Budzinski in November.

More:Nikki Budzinski wins Democratic bid for 13th Congressional District, will face Regan Deering

Currently occupied by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, the seat became open following redistricting by the Illinois General Assembly. Using population data from the 2020 U.S. Census, legislators redrew the district into a slimmer zone spanning from Metro East to Champaign — forcing Davis to run in the 15th District race where he lost to Rep. Mary Miller.

The new district favored President Joe Biden by 11% in the 2020 election and is expected to lean Democrat in 2022, according to an analysis by Politico. In the primary, results show that more voters within the district cast Republican ballots than Democrat ballots.

With former President Donald Trump losing the district and the state in 2020, Deering did not say if she would support him as a presidential candidate in 2024.

"I have no idea who will be on the ballot in 2024," she said in a recent interview. "I am focused on my election in about 45 days in 2022."

About the candidate

Like her opponent, Deering would be a freshman legislator in Congress if elected. She has a background in philanthropy and is the owner of a Huntington Learning Center that provided instruction in the Decatur and Springfield school districts.

In her pre-primary questionnaire, Deering said her volunteer role as Northeast Community Fund board president played a major role in the construction of a new multi-million dollar, 17,000-square-foot facility to benefit low-income families.

Past coverage:Meet Regan Deering, 13th Congressional District candidate for Illinois

The Decatur resident has considerable personal wealth according to financial disclosures. She reported a net worth of anywhere from $35 million to $142 million in a May filing with the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her wealth mostly results from her being a heiress to the multinational food processing company, Archer-Daniels-Midland.

In total, Deering reported holding stock worth $17 million to $85 million in the company — expanded under her grandfather Dwayne Andreas' near 30-year reign as chief executive officer of ADM.

Deering and her husband, Brian, have three children.

Here are three key issues in the race:

Cutting the cost of living

With food and energy prices on the rise, Deering says addressing cost-of-living expenses is one of her top priorities as a candidate. She pointed to farmers who she said have concerns about higher production costs.

Her opponent, Budzinski, has criticized the Republican's stance on the Inflation Reduction Act — with special attention given to what she describes as Deering's opposition to the $35 monthly cap for insulin. However, Deering maintains that she too would support a limit on insulin prices but not for the IRA.

"I would be all in favor of supporting a cap on life-saving drugs, including insulin," she said during a recent press conference. "I do understand that is included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Certainly, my position was that I was against a vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, but I do appreciate that piece of legislation and would certainly support it in a stand-alone bill."

Wants borders secured

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, opioid overdoses increased by 33% from 2019 to 2020. This increase, seen especially among young Americans, is one Deering says is being drawn by "the wide-open border" where traffickers are bringing drugs into the country.

"I want to advocate for families feeling safe in our communities, that would include securing the border," she said, adding later that Illinois and all non-border states are essentially border states under current policies by the Biden administration.

Favors requiring IDs to vote

Like her fellow Republicans coined several times over during their day at the Illinois State Fair, Deering is in favor of making "easier to vote, but harder to cheat."

One way of doing so would be by instituting voter ID laws, for which she is an advocate.

"You have to have an ID to do many, many things in our daily lives," she said. "So, knowing that we have that extra layer of making sure that our participants in the election process are in-fact valid is a great place to start."

What is the campaign's funding source?

As of June 30, Deering had $37,598 on hand according to the most recent Federal Election Committee campaign finance disclosures. In total, she had received $436,806 from individual contributions and spent $399,208 primarily on advertising and traveling expenses.

The candidate also contributed $150,000 of her own money to the campaign and received nearly $3,000 from an employee of Koch Industries.

Who's endorsing Deering?

Deering has received an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Businesses. She has also secured endorsements from the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Right to Life, and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.

Locally, Deering has been endorsed by former Sangamon County Republican Party Chairman Irv Smith and state Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Meet Regan Deering: GOP 13th Congressional District candidate