A lifelong resident of Rockford is joining a growing field of candidates from both the left and right looking to unseat Illinois U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood in 2026.
Democrat Paul Nolley describes himself as coming from a working class family with a working class background. His father was a mechanic and his mom worked several jobs, both of them without a college education.
Nolley started with blue collar jobs himself, working in restaurants and on farms. After attending college, he began a career in politics, working on State Senator Steve Stadelman's 2012 campaign. Nolley moved on from there to community organizations like the YMCA, United Way and Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, he’s been executive director of Project First Rate, an organization advocating for union contractors and tradespeople.
“I advocate for public policies that take the high road and public construction, good union careers, all that kind of stuff,” Nolley said. “And so, I get throughout the community to promote union construction, union careers, registered apprenticeships and all that.”
Nolley’s working class background and his current work with unions is important to his identity as a candidate as well. He said the decision to run for the 16th Congressional District seat started from a conversation with his wife.
Nolley said the discussion focused on the “chaos” in Washington and the needs of working class people.
“We’ve got to make a change, we’ve got to move in a different direction,” he said. “Plus, the factor that working class people have just been hit hard for decades and decades and not a lot of people in either party are really standing up and making that explicit issue and calling that out explicitly.”
This is a recurring feature of Nolley’s candidacy and platform. He says he aims to foster a grassroots campaign without any corporate PAC donors, while levying appropriate criticism at both Republicans and Democrats currently in power.
Nolley said he’s always identified as a “political independent who has helped Democratic candidates.” He’s voted in Republican primaries for candidates he sees as pro-labor and would’ve considered running as an independent if Illinois didn’t “make it so difficult.”
Nolley says incumbent LaHood has gone “full MAGA.” He believes LaHood’s communication and engagement with his constituents is lacking and the needs of the district aren't being met by its representation.
“[LaHood] was once a moderate and now he’s went in a different direction and I’m not going to be like that,” Nolley said. “If something is going wrong in the party, my party, or other, I’m willing to stand up and speak out against that. I don’t care about the political repercussions. I think that’s a different vision for a representative and that’s what I’m committed to doing.”
On a policy level, Nolley said some of his priorities include advocating for the protection and support of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, arguing against the tariff suite being implemented by the Trump administration and increasing workers’ access to collective bargaining.
“Those are a couple of things I’m very strong on. I believe that greater levels of unionization and worker power increases wage, benefits, working conditions for all workers, regardless if you’re actually in a union or not,” he said. “So those are some things that I’m very strong on that I believe will advance the interests of all working people.”
Nolley said he believes his platform has the potential to resonate with a majority of voters, even in a district considered as solidly Republican as Illinois’ 16th. Last year, LaHood ran unopposed, he fended off Democratic challenger Elizabeth Haderlein in 2022 by more than 30 points.
Nolley believes voters are more concerned with improving their quality of life than keeping the district a Republican stronghold.
“People want to go and take a vacation once in a while, people want to have a nice roof over their head, not have to worry about trading off grocery costs for rent or your mortgage or property taxes,” he said. “So that is what I’m really going to be focusing on.”
Nolley’s intended focus on economic issues includes putting less of an emphasis on social issues that are regularly prominent in campaigns. When asked how he would respond to being questioned about social issues by potential voters, like, for example, diversity, equity and inclusion or gender identity, Nolley said he would be honest.
“I’m not afraid to talk about them, I have nuanced views on all those things,” he said. “I was raised by a conservative family, so I understand that point of view, but I also stand for everyone’s dignity, everyone’s right to be who they are.”
When it comes to the economy, Nolley believes most of the constituents of the district share common interests, even if they differ on social issues.
“I think when you break it down, when you strip it down, almost all of our economic issues are aligned,” he said. “Even, again, going back to the small business owner versus the worker, we need to have them both lifted up and those interests are almost always aligned versus the most elite and all-powerful and wealthy in our country, those interests are not aligned with us.”
Currently, Nolley says the campaign's primary work is building their movement and getting volunteers to speak with as many people as possible throughout the district including parts of Peoria, Tazewell, McLean, and Woodford counties.
The campaign is trying to include, as explicitly as possible, conversations about workers rights and “the way that neoliberalism has totally hollowed out the working class and middle class in our economy.”
“I go out and talk to groups and that message is resonating,” Nolley said. “They are excited about something different.”
So far, Democrat Joe Albright and Republican John Kitover have also announced campaigns for the seat.
The primary election will be March 17, 2026 and the general election is set for Nov. 3, 2026.
