Editor’s Note: This story is part of an Illinois’ 15th Congressional District candidates series.
Jennifer Todd is one of four candidates running in the Democratic primary in Illinois’ 15th Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The other three candidates running in the Democratic primary are Paul Davis, Kyle Nudo and Randy Raley.
The primary election will be on March 17, and the general election will be on Nov. 3, according to Ballotpedia.
Todd lives in Edwardsville and has an associate degree from Kaskaskia College and bachelor’s degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
She entered the race in January 2025 after learning that incumbent Mary Miller was at the time running unopposed. According to the Illinois Board of Elections, Todd officially filed to run on Oct. 27, 2025, making her and Raley both the first to file at 8 a.m.
Todd said she wanted to run due to the little amount of federal funds coming into the district. Representatives can request Community Project Funding.
According to the House Allocations Committee, Miller requested zero CPFs in the 2025 fiscal year, making her the only Illinois representative to do so. This is the same for the 2022 to 2024 fiscal years. This has changed in the 2026 fiscal year, with Miller requesting $50,454,310 in CPFs.
Todd said healthcare is a priority for her, and one goal is to reverse cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that were made by the Trump administration and set to take effect in 2027. She said the cuts will have a large impact on rural hospitals and nursing homes.
She said her experience being a nurse for 32 years will help her achieve this goal, as she understands what it’s like to be in a hospital.
“We need people who actually have hands-on experience in the hospitals,” Todd said. “We need people there that actually know what’s going on at the bedside.”
According to the American Nurses Association, there are currently three nurses in Congress: Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood, South Carlina Rep. Sheri Biggs and Virgina Rep. Jen Kiggans.
Todd said there is a need for universal healthcare.
“The easiest form is Medicare for all,” she said. “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.”
Additionally, Todd said there needs to be the same pricing for medicine regardless of state.
She said that claims of fraud and abuse in the healthcare system, which have caused calls for cuts to Medicaid, are targeted at the wrong people.
“They’re not looking at the right people,” Todd said. “They’re not looking at the hospital corporations. They’re not looking at the physicians. They’re not looking at the insurance companies. That’s where you need to look for fraud and abuse.”
Todd said other issues in healthcare are small town pharmacies closing.
“We’re going to end up having deserts of being able to get our medications that keep us alive,” she said.
Nursing was removed as a “professional degree” by the Trump administration last November. Todd said this will lead to less financial aid being available for those degrees, which in turn leads to less people in nursing.
Another priority for Todd is fully funded education. She wants to encourage people to go to trade schools and do apprenticeships.
“We need our kids to say ‘Hey, you know college is not the only answer,’” Todd said.
Todd also said there is a need for free community college.
One more priority for Todd is making sure veterans get their full Veterans Affairs benefits. She said she had to work hard with her father to get his benefits and that the process should be streamlined.
“If you have an honorable discharge, you should automatically get VA benefits. There’s no if, ands or butts about it,” she said.
Todd also said there is a need for a “true farm bill” to cover problems facing farmers. She said this bill would include breaking up “Big Agriculture,” getting rid of tariffs and expanding crop insurance.
“We need to get back to where it’s affordable for everyone,” she said.
Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
