LaHood elected to Congress again in new 16th District

PEORIA (25 News Now) -Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) fought off a Democratic challenger Tuesday to win the U.S. House seat in the new 16th Congressional District.

Associated Press projected LaHood as the victory late Tuesday night. He defeated Elizabeth Haderlein, who describes herself on her Twitter feed as a “progressive conservationist” living in the northern Illinois city of Harvard.

In fact, the new 16th district includes large portions of northern Illinois, in addition to parts of the Twin-Cities, Peoria, Mackinaw, Morton, Washington, and Chillicothe.

LaHood switched from the General Assembly to the halls of Congress in 2015, replacing Aaron Schock.

His father, Ray LaHood was a long-time Central Illinois congressman and also a congressional aide for the late House Minority Leader Bob Michel.

The younger LaHood is considered more conservative than his father, who after his time in Congress became Transportation Secretary in the cabinet of Democratic President Barack Obama.