GOP Rep. Rodney Davis won the race for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District Tuesday night, NBC News projected, fending off a challenge from Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.
Davis won 51 percent of the vote with 95 percent of votes tallied as of 10:51 p.m.
Londrigan pulled 49 percent of the vote in the central Illinois district that includes parts of Bloomington, Champaign, Decatur, Taylorville and more.
In 2016, President Donald Trump carried the district by 6 percent and prior to Election Day, the Cook Political Report rated it as a “lean Republican” race.
But still, in a year projected to see a “blue wave,” Londrigan jumped in the race and polling late in the cycle showed a dead heat with Davis up by a 1-point margin.
While Londrigan got former President Barack Obama's endorsement, Davis brought in Vice President Mike Pence to campaign for him, and held onto that slim lead to prevail.
Like Democratic challengers across Illinois and the nation, Londrigan made access to affordable healthcare and coverage for pre-existing conditions a central part of her platform. She had also garnered support and resources from several nationwide organizations, including Emily’s List, the National Organization for Women, the Service Employees International Union, and more.
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But Davis prevailed with a message focused more on the economy, touting low unemployment and “pro-growth reforms” as a reason to send him back to Washington, D.C.
The battle was high-stakes throughout and even allegedly resulted in a physical brawl, as Davis' field director was arrested in August over a reported altercation with another man at an event for Londrigan.
Davis' campaign fired the staffer, but the incident did not appear to impact him at the ballot box, as Davis earned a fourth term in Congress.
