Congressman Davis familiar with potential new constituency

QUINCY (WGEM) - U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R, IL-13) said he is no stranger to the Tri-States. The Taylorville Republican spent many years working for former U.S. Rep. John Shimkus when he represented parts of the area.

Since 2013, he has held his own seat in Congress. He will be seeking re-election, though, in an all-new district that encompasses nearly all of the Tri-State viewing area thanks to new Congressional districts signed into law last month by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Davis said the change in district geography will not change how he goes about doing his job if voters send him back to Washington.

“I’m me,” Davis said. “I am going to govern and serve the way I always have. Which is, I believe in being a true conservative that never sacrifices my core values and principles. But at the same time, I govern. I get things done.”

Davis pointed to working on the Trump administration’s tax cuts among his accomplishments.

“The IRS even put out data this week that said the majority of those tax cuts went right to our middle-class families, just like we promised,” Davis said.

He also has worked on student debt relief as part of the CARES Act, which offered COVID-19 relief during the height of the pandemic. The Employer Participation in Repayment Act allows companies to pay up to $5,250 a year, similar to tuition assistance programs, through 2025. The money would be tax-free for students.

“We actually used our tax code to incentivize employers to be able to pay down the student debt of their employees,” Davis said.

He said the program can be both a great recruitment tool and a way for companies to help retain employees.

Above all, Davis called himself a “true conservative.”

“That means I stick with my values,” he said. “I’m a conservative when it comes to spending. I truly believe that we can work to reduce the amount of tax dollars that it takes to run the federal government. But when those tax dollars or budgets are set, my job is to fight and scratch to make sure that we bring some of those tax dollars home to benefit our communities.”

Davis also said he is “unwavering” in his anti-abortion convictions, and he called himself a “staunch supporter” of the Second Amendment.

“I truly believe that less government and more personal responsibility is the best way to govern,” he said.

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