By Eric Stock
SPRINGFIELD – A third candidate has joined the field of Democrats seeking to unseat three-term U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in 2018.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, 46, of Springfield, joins Bloomington emergency room doctor David Gill and University High School English and theater teacher Benjamin Webb.
Londrigan, a mother of three and former fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, said she decided to run when she saw Davis backing the health care reform bill which passed the U.S. House in May.
“It didn’t make sense to me,” Londrigan said in a news release. “That bill had huge negative consequences to our area-from coverage loss to job loss. Healthcare-related services are big employers here in the 13th, so it’s a one-two punch. Now, they want people to pay more for less, increase costs to folks over 50 and roll back protections for people with pre-existing conditions. No way. We deserve better.”
Londrigan said the healthcare debate became personal for her in 2009, when her 12-year-old son Jack battled a rare, life-threatening illness resulting from a tick bite had left him in a medically-induced coma. He spent 24 days in the hospital.
“I am very grateful for the insurance and protections we have in place,” Londrigan said. “No family should be put in danger of bankruptcy because of an unexpected medical emergency and people with pre-existing conditions need confidence they will be able to afford their healthcare
Gill ran for the Democratic nomination four times previously in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012. He tried unsuccessfully to get on the ballot as an independent in 2016.
Webb is a first-time candidate.
At least three others have expressed interest in running for the Democratic nomination, including State Rep. Carol Ammons of Champaign who spoke to voters in Normal at an event in May.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
