Jennifer Todd discusses campaign, issues facing Illinois' 15th District

By Jason Koch, Editor

[originally published at https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/jennifer-todd-illinois-15th-district-22491446.php]

Editor's note: This is the next in The Intelligencer's series of interviews with candidates running to represent Edwardsville and Glen Carbon.

Jennifer Todd, of Edwardsville, is a registered nurse and the Democratic candidate running for Congress in Illinois' 15th District.

The 15th District includes parts of Edwardsville, significant portions of Madison County, and most of central Illinois. The district includes 35 counties across more than 17,000 square miles of the state, stretching from Mercer County in the north to Madison County in the south, and from Adams County in the west to Edgar County in the east.

The district has been represented by U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, an Oakland Republican, since it was created in 2022.

Multiple attempts were made to reach the Miller campaign for an interview, but all emails bounced back and phone calls went unanswered. An email to her congressional office also went unanswered.

Todd says her experience in healthcare showed her how decisions made in Washington affect patients, families and providers. Her campaign platform focuses on affordability, healthcare, veterans, public education, family farms and workers. She has also called for greater federal investment in rural communities and more accessible constituent services.

Todd said part of the reason she entered the campaign was because of how little federal money Miller was requesting for the district.

“That’s one of the big issues I’ve been pushing since the beginning: Mary Miller wasn’t bringing any money home or bringing any community project funding home," she said. "Then, in July of that year, she started requesting money because people were calling her out on it. It wasn’t just me; other candidates who entered the primary were calling her out, too."

Todd sat down for an interview with The Edwardsville Intelligencer on Oct. 23 to discuss her campaign and issues facing the 15th District.

Q. You’re a nurse and have worked in healthcare, but you’ve never run for elected office. Why are you running for Congress and how would your experience help you represent the 15th District?

“We need to be able to take care of infrastructure projects. Look at what happened with the infrastructure funding Nikki Budzinski was able to get for Cahokia Heights, fixing the water problems there. That brings in jobs, including good union jobs, and we need to continue that. In summer 2025, Mattoon had to completely shut down its water treatment plant and turn off the city’s water because highly toxic algae was growing. They found it was caused by runoff from farms, and they had to make sure they had clean drinking water.”

“They went a while without clean drinking water. Would that have changed if they had a new water treatment plant? No. But if they had another system along with it — I believe it’s called reverse osmosis, but I’m not sure — they wouldn’t have had the problem. You have to have money to do that. So many small towns and villages don’t have the money, which is why they increase property taxes and water bills to cover and fix what needs to be fixed.”

“That’s what we pay for, so we should be able to use that money to get things taken care of. Going back to emergency management, some villages don’t even have a tornado siren. Luckily, Palmer finally got one. These are things we have to make sure our small rural communities have. They’ve been ignored, and you can’t ignore the people who supposedly pay your wages. You just can’t do that.”

Q. You said Miller opposes spending government money. Is that the main reason you think she hasn’t brought federal funding to the district, or are there other reasons?

“First of all, she doesn’t think government should spend the money. She’s part of the Freedom Caucus, and they don’t believe in spending it. They call it government money. Well, that’s our tax money. That’s our money that we pay into the government, so we should have benefits that affect us here in the district. Those projects bring good jobs. I remember Cahokia Heights because I drove through there a lot, and that was a several-year project. That’s good jobs for everyone. If we can get a solid two years of jobs someplace, that benefits everyone, not just a few.”

“That’s what a representative is supposed to do. They’re supposed to help everyone in the district, not just a few.”

Q. As you’ve traveled through the district, what are some of the biggest concerns you’re hearing that have sharpened your view of what Congress should do?

“When I first started all this, it was basic healthcare. Now, with everything that’s been going on, it’s affordability. I use affordability as an umbrella term because everything falls under it: gas prices, grocery prices and healthcare prices. We need to address those. We need to get out of Iran to help bring down gas prices and make sure the Strait of Hormuz is open again.”

“Our farmers don’t want subsidies; they want to be able to farm. We need to have the resources. We have to get rid of the tariffs so we can sell those resources and farmers can make money and continue doing what they do. We need to reopen USAID because we are surplus providers and need to provide for countries that can’t provide for themselves. That’s what John Kennedy set that program up for.”

“These are things we have to get back to — not how they were, but better. We need more oversight, not necessarily more rules, but more consistent, straightforward rules so we know what we can do. Healthcare is astronomical, and the Medicare and Medicaid cuts that are going to happen Jan. 1 will be absolutely devastating to this district. The larger hospitals are in Quincy, Springfield and Champaign. There’s a critical access hospital in Paris in Edgar County, and we have hospitals in Jerseyville and Carrollton. Those smaller community hospitals could end up having to close their doors. People are already driving close to an hour just to see a specialist.”

“We also need to get nursing and teaching designations changed back to professional degrees. We need nurse practitioners and physician assistants where physicians can’t be. Our teachers can’t advance on the pay scale without advanced degrees, and you can’t get advanced degrees unless you pay for them. I worked hard for my nursing degree, and I wouldn’t have gotten it without loans.”

Q. On rural hospital closures and gaps in care, what would you do to help ensure hospitals stay open and have the resources they need?

“We have to reverse the decision to decrease funding. We have to look at that. But we also need to look at where there really is fraud, waste and abuse. We need to make sure we’re looking in the right places. They’re not saying they’re looking at the hospital systems or physicians’ offices themselves. They’re looking only at recipients, not providers. We have to look at providers, because that’s where a lot of the fraud comes in. Yes, there are probably people on the programs who shouldn’t be. We can weed those out.”

“But there are individuals who need to be on them. It doesn’t mean they don’t want to work; they can’t. They’re disabled enough that they can’t, or they can’t meet the 20-hour minimum work requirement because of their limitations. That’s not feasible, especially in rural communities. The last time I checked, about 25% of residents in Illinois’ 15th were on some form of Medicaid or the ACA. That may be higher now. That number is dropping because people no longer have services. They’ve had to get rid of ACA coverage because premiums have doubled or tripled as subsidies go away.”

“People are coming off Medicaid because they don’t meet the requirements the government has put in. We’re back to where we were before the ACA, and that’s not right. Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. Basic decency is a human right, and we need to keep it that way.”

Q. Why do you think the government has had so much trouble and debate over whether people should have access to healthcare?

“It depends on which side you look at. Democrats feel that everybody needs healthcare and access to it, and it needs to be fairly inexpensive. We don’t want people to be unable to pay their bills. I think a lot of it comes down to lobbyists for insurance companies and big hospital corporations making sure they show a profit. A for-profit facility wants to show a profit. Even nonprofit facilities want to show a profit and have money they can put away. But you still need to take care of people in your community.”

“That’s why you see free clinics supported by donations in bigger cities. We might have to do something like that. But we need real clinics, staffed properly with nurse practitioners and physician assistants, along with a physician — or five physicians who rotate. If they’re open five days a week, you could have a different physician each day, but they would all be on the same page and know what’s going on. Or they could rotate weekly.”

“We have to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get the healthcare they need. Otherwise, people end up going to the emergency room sicker than they would be if they had preventive care. People are treating the ER as their private physician because they don’t have another place to go for care.”

Q. If you could redesign the healthcare system, what would you do?

“I truly believe in a single-payer system. Call it Medicare for All or whatever name you want. Everybody would be on the same playing field and get the same services. If you want private insurance, that’s fine; have private insurance. But everyone else would have that option. Would wait times be slower? Probably, because everybody would be on it. But everyone would be guaranteed healthcare.”

“People ask how we would pay for it. Of course it would be through taxes, but you have to look at the top 1%. They’re not paying taxes like we are in the lower income brackets. I don’t think I want to say what I say — below the 1%. It’s the same thing with Social Security. The cap is at $184,000. Anything over that, you don’t have to pay into Social Security. We need to get rid of that cap. Everyone should pay into Social Security according to what they can afford. Even if it’s a flat 5% or 10%, it won’t be that much for people making billions compared with people making $24,000 a year.”

“I understand tax incentives, but that’s not helping people in the United States. People may actually get money back under a single-payer system because they wouldn’t have to pay insurance premiums through work. For a family of four, a company may pay for the employee, and the employee pays for the family. This is hypothetical, but if you’re paying $400 every two weeks, that’s $800 a month.”

“If half of that went toward Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, you’d have an extra $400 in your paycheck to pay bills, buy groceries or do things you couldn’t do before, like take a vacation. Who wouldn’t want an extra $400 in their paycheck? These are ideas that have been around for years, and it’s finally time to make them happen.”

Q. What changes to the H-2A visa program would you seek?

“I’m trying to remember — that’s the visa program that brings immigrants in to work on farms. I had to remember that one. We need to make sure they come in legally. That’s the reason we have the visa program. We have to make sure we’re offering jobs. These are jobs that no one else wants. They come willingly to do this work because they need the money.”

“We need to continue the program and do things legally to help farmers when they need it. Organic farmers, apple orchards, orange groves and others need workers to pick everything and get it shipped. It’s backbreaking work, and I’m thankful for the people who do it. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to hold up to it. We need to make sure these workers are taken care of because they help feed us.”

“We need to streamline the process. We also need more immigration attorneys and judges to help do that. There are so many hoops to jump through to become a citizen or get a visa. It shouldn’t be that hard. People still need to be screened and vetted, but it shouldn’t be as hard as it is now.”

Q. What would your approach be to a farm bill and a strong farm safety net?

“We need a decent crop insurance program that everyone can use and that isn’t highly inflated. Farmers want to farm. They don’t want subsidies; they want to be able to farm. To do that, we have to get rid of the tariffs and bring back USAID. I remember hearing a while back on TikTok about a wheat farmer in Kansas who sold 100% of his crop to USAID. Now he has nowhere to sell it.”

“I have farmers in Henderson County. One runs a multigenerational farm and doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to farm next year. These policies are affecting farmers and cattle ranchers. Bringing in meat from Argentina to bring down costs won’t bring down costs. We want fair market value for our beef. Ranchers are rebuilding and restocking their herds, so we have to keep the stock going and have beef available.”

Q. Why do you think many farmers continue to support President Donald Trump and Republican policies despite the problems they face?

“You’re starting to see that change. There are people whose minds you’re never going to change, and that’s fine. But some farmers are starting to say they’ll never vote that way again. Others say the current representative hasn’t done anything for farmers, and they’ve finally drawn the line. They want someone who can represent them and do something for farmers.”

“The Farm Bill that passed the House has not passed the Senate. It did absolutely nothing for rural farmers in Illinois’ 15th. It did more for big corporate farms than rural farmers. We have to focus again on our backbone, which is family farms. That’s one of the main things I want to make sure is addressed in the farm bill.”

“We also need to make sure SNAP benefits are taken care of, because they’re part of the farm bill, too. I was once on SNAP and know what it’s like. It’s a safety net, and you can get off it. I was on it because of an injury and couldn’t work. But you still have to provide food for your family.”

“So many people have been kicked off SNAP or had their benefits reduced that food pantries are being overwhelmed. We have to address that in the farm bill and make sure we can take care of our kids. Kids deserve full bellies when they go to school, and we need to take care of older people, too. Those are the two largest populations on SNAP.”

Q. You support more federal funding for public schools and higher teacher pay. What would you do to make that happen, and how can the federal government better support schools?

“We need to correct the wrongs of the Department of Education right now. They’re mandating the elimination of programs that shouldn’t go anywhere, including special education programs. We need those programs. We’ve just gotten those kids into school, learning socialization and being around people besides their caregivers. That needs to continue. When you cut those services, you alienate a whole group of kids who should receive the same benefits as everyone else. Some may have intellectual disabilities; some can’t move. They need the same resources as every other kid.”

“We need to look at teachers’ pay. Geography is part of it, but to keep teachers in rural areas, we have to make it worthwhile by making sure the pay is a decent, livable wage. We also need to make sure schools have the resources to supply what kids need in the classroom without teachers paying out of their own pockets.”

“Every school year, you get a list of things to bring to school: four boxes of tissues, hand sanitizer. A lot of families can’t afford that. They have a hard enough time providing basic needs, notebooks, pencils and pens. Schools need those resources.”

Q. Some people say taxes are already too high. How would you respond to concerns about paying for more federal support for schools?

“I understand that taxes are too high, and I’ll be the first to agree. We need restructuring and to simplify the tax code. A lot of school taxes are at the state level, but the federal government should help supplement what the state pays. Some schools get more than others, which is understandable, but we have to make sure all schools are treated equally. A school in Charleston is no better than a school in Chicago or Jerseyville in Jersey County.”

“Even though it’s a rural school, it’s just as important as schools in the Chicago area. We have to celebrate that, and we’re not doing that.”

Q. You support expanding veterans’ healthcare, mental health services and long-term care. What would you do in Congress to make sure veterans are taken care of?

“This started with an issue involving my dad right before my mom died in 2008. My mom was the sole insurance provider, and my dad hadn’t turned 65. We had to get him VA benefits while she was going through cancer treatment. I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get him approved. We had to show his discharge papers and bank accounts. If you have an honorable discharge, you should automatically be able to use VA benefits. You can’t do that now.”

“We need to take care of the people who took care of us. We’re seeing the end of the Greatest Generation and the beginning of the Vietnam and Korean War eras, and the issues those veterans face with Agent Orange and other chemicals. We’re also seeing what happened with burn pits in the first Gulf War. We need to provide for those people without making them jump through everything to prove what they have. The intake process needs restructuring, and we need to make sure we keep our doctors.”

“The VA system doesn’t keep doctors very long. They work for a certain period, fulfill their contracts and go into private practice. We need to keep them. We also need social workers and mental health counselors to help people manage and go through the process. We need mental health services, counselors, psychiatrists and medication when needed. We have to let people know it’s not wrong to ask for mental health services. Veterans are having more mental health difficulties because of burn pits and other factors from serving in the Middle East. PTSD is real, and we have to take care of veterans or we’re going to lose them.”

Q. How would you work with members of either party to make sure the 15th District is taken care of, even when local priorities don’t align with the party in charge?

“I’ve always said I was put in by the people. I represent the people of the 15th, and I’m going to do what’s best for the 15th or what they tell me is best. That’s why I’ve spent almost two years going around and listening to everyone. They have a voice in what happens in Washington, and their voice has been stifled. We have to make sure they have that power again and can make their voices heard.”

“If something is going to benefit the 15th, I’m all for it. But it depends on what else is attached. People ask, ‘Why did you vote against that?’ This is what was attached to it, and it would be devastating for the 15th. If it were a standalone bill, then yes. You have to look at what’s attached to things. Too many things are piggybacked, and representatives don’t explain that. They see the main bill but not what’s attached. Once people understand the reason, they’ll agree with you. When they’re left in the dark, they don’t. You have to communicate, ‘I would have, except this was attached to this bill.’ You have to say, ‘This is what I did, and this is the reason why.’ They’re not getting that.”

Q. You’re opposed to the war in Iran. What role should Congress play in authorizing military action, and what would you want the administration to do now?

“We need to enact the War Powers Act — I think that’s the name of it — because the president never asked permission. The president has some discretion, but he never asked Congress. We’ve already had up to 23 deaths, I believe.”

“That’s 23 too many. Now they’re having emergency evacuations of personnel, most of whom are our allies. We’ve abandoned our allies just because they could possibly have a nuclear program. I understand the quick in-and-out, but this is devastating. It’s not helping our economy. They keep saying, ‘Be patient.’ I can’t be patient when I’m paying almost $6 a gallon for gas just to go across town. Our farmers can’t afford $7,500 worth of diesel fuel just to do harvest. The math doesn’t math. We’ve been patient enough. It’s time to take action.”

Q. The argument is that preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon makes the United States safer, so the country should endure the economic costs. Do you agree with that?

“No. The means don’t justify the end. We have to look at all standpoints. I think there was more to it than what we were told. We’re killing innocent people, and they’re killing our people who are doing their jobs. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Q. What would you do to help Congress reclaim responsibilities that belong to it under the Constitution and check the executive branch?

“We actually have to have checks and balances. We have to follow the Constitution. That is our letter of the law, and we’re not doing that right now. We have to get back to following it. That’s why you have constitutional lawyers, people who know a lot more than I do. But you still have to have a basic knowledge of the Constitution. I sometimes have to look things up because I’ve forgotten what I learned about the Constitution in eighth and 11th grades. We have to follow it, and that’s why our forefathers did that.”

“Are there certain amendments that need to be looked at again? Probably. But that doesn’t take away from the core of what it’s about.”

“Congress has to take back its own power. We need to make sure we have people in positions who can do that. It’s not going to be pretty, and it’s going to take longer than two years. But we have to start somewhere. Jan. 4 would be a good time to start.”

Q. You’ve criticized Rep. Mary Miller’s accessibility and presence in the district. What would you do to make sure constituents can reach you and know what you’re doing?

“We share five of her seven counties. Nikki Budzinski and I can definitely get a lot of things done because we share so many counties.”

“I’d make sure we have a strong constituent services program and announce when I’m having town hall meetings or tele-town halls — Zoom town halls — so I’m visible. I want to listen, let people ask tough questions and answer them, or say, ‘That’s a good question, and I don’t have an answer.’ At least you acknowledge the question. That’s not what people in the 15th are getting now.”

Q. Do you hear complaints about Rep. Miller from constituents?

“I don’t know why she’s hard to reach. Everybody has suspicions, and I don’t want to go down that route. But you’ve been elected to represent people. You need to speak to them to know what they need, and that’s not what they’re getting right now.”

“Yes. People complain that she doesn’t return phone calls and they can’t reach anyone. If they send an email, they don’t get a response, or they get a form letter. Responses are few and far between; there are more nonresponses. The other big complaint is that she focuses on other things instead of the 15th. She hasn’t passed a single bill, and what she brings forward doesn’t directly affect the 15th.”

“The office staff isn’t friendly. When someone calls, they say, ‘Yes, we know who you are,’ because you’ve called so many times. We have to answer people. I hate not being able to answer an email or text message. I’m sad to say I’ve fallen into that trap lately because I’ve been bombarded with so many messages. Sometimes I have to sit down and answer them because everyone deserves an answer.”

“I’ve been proud of getting answers returned. Lately, I haven’t been able to do it because I’m busy, and my staff has been busy, too. We’re trying to make sure we answer the major and most important ones. That’s why I’ve been doing my DIY Hometown Question of the Day: people send me a question, and I try to answer as truthfully as I can.”

Q. Is there another issue or part of your campaign you want to discuss?

“We talked about renewable energy, which is a big issue in Madison County and Morgan County. There are a lot of hot topics about data centers. They’re important and can bring jobs. I have my talking notes because there are so many issues. We have to make sure data centers are held accountable. At the federal level, I can make sure the EPA is back where it should be, with EPA standards, and hold them accountable if they don’t meet those standards. A lot of it comes down to the local level.”

“That’s where there’s a lot of infighting because some people want data centers and some don’t. I understand they’ll bring good jobs, but we have to be more cautious about where they’re placed and make sure they follow environmental rules. They’ll affect our water and electricity grid, so we have to look at all of that, not just the dollar signs. They’ll bring in a lot at the beginning, and then it will slowly fade away. What happens to them when they become obsolete?”

Q. Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be publicly hanged. What was your reaction, and why do you think political rhetoric has become so heated? What can be done to lower the temperature?

“I was disgusted, because you shouldn’t broadcast that somebody should be executed. That’s a death threat. Death threats need to be taken very seriously. It also comes from the top down. When the top of the food chain says the same thing, everybody else thinks it’s OK to do. It’s not. We have to prosecute people who make those claims. They need to be taken seriously. ‘I was just joking’ — no, you weren’t.”

“We may disagree on things, but that’s how we’re supposed to live. We shouldn’t agree on everything. Everyone has an opinion. It’s how you express and vocalize that opinion and bring it out to the world. I might have a different opinion from you, but I’ll still sit here and listen. You may change my mind or you may not. I may think, ‘Oh, I can see it that way,’ but it still may not change my opinion. We have to get back to that. That’s what we were built on. Our Founding Fathers didn’t agree on everything.”

“We need to bring back the idea that it’s OK to disagree. What’s the saying? ‘I respectfully disagree.’ We have to get back to that. We’ve lost common decency.”

Q. Would you support repealing the 1929 law that limits the House to 435 members and allowing it to grow as the population grows? The average House district has about 750,000 people. Is that too many to represent?

“I know a little bit about it, but not enough to really comment. I can see why people want true representation. To do that, you have to have more people in Congress because our numbers are growing. Some states are losing people and some are gaining. People are coming and becoming citizens; they need to be represented as much as anybody else. Do we need to do it more often than every 10 years? I don’t know. It’s hard to answer because you don’t know what to do. ... We need people who have lived in Southern Illinois representing Southern Illinois, not people from Chicago. We need people close to home, and we’re not getting that.”

“There are some counties that, thank goodness for the telephone, I wouldn’t have been able to get to. Two counties don’t have a Democratic Party, so it’s hard to do things there and hard to get people to come help. That’s one drawback of such a huge district. These are things they’re not looking at. They’re still basing things on how they used to be instead of advancing to where we are now. You can’t have growth unless you grow old laws into new laws.”

Jason Koch is the editor of The Edwardsville Intelligencer. He has been a professional journalist since 2006, previously working as an editor and reporter in Terre Haute, Ind., Belleville, Ill., and Warrenton, Mo. He has won multiple awards from both the Indiana and Illinois APME and from the Illinois and Missouri press associations.