Edwardsville nurse Jennifer Todd wants to do something that many believe to be highly unlikely — win Illinois’ 15th Congressional District as a Democrat this fall.

Todd emerged victorious from a four-way primary last month, earning 45.8% of the vote. She’ll face incumbent Republican Mary Miller of Hindsboro in November.

In the low-cost primary, Todd pitched herself as someone who understands the struggles of the working class, having previously used Medicaid for health care, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to eat and drawing unemployment.

“I understand the struggle, and that's where a lot of people feel that they can relate to me,” Todd said in a recent interview.

But even if Democrats overperform in the off-cycle elections, when the party in power tends to struggle, Todd will still have a massive hill to climb in one of the country’s 35 most conservative districts.

“You’re starting to see things turn,” Todd said of her chances in November. “Can’t really say, ‘They’re seeing the light,’ but they’re starting to see where it’s hitting them in their pocketbooks and you’re taking away things that they rely on.”

So far this year, Democrats nationally have performed better than before in Republican-dominated areas.

The heavily gerrymandered 15th District stretches from the outskirts of the Metro East to the Indiana border and nearly to the Quad Cities. It’s rated R+20 by Cook Political Report, meaning Republicans have outperformed Democrats by 20 percentage points compared to the national average over the last two presidential elections.

In 2022, Republican Darren Bailey beat Gov. JB Pritzker, 69% to 28%, in the 15th District. In 2024, Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris, 69% to 29%. This year, 87,450 Republicans voted compared to 29,409 Democrats in March’s primary elections. But Todd believes building on her message of relatability, especially as affordability ranks as one of the top issues of the midterms, can win over non-Democratic voters.

“We’re supposed to have different views and opinions,” Todd said. “There are people you’re never going to be able to change their way of thinking, and that’s fine. We just have to do what's best for the district.”

Key to what’s doing best for the district is routinely submitting requests for what’s known as Community Project Funding, Todd said.

Until the last two fiscal years, Miller hadn’t submitted requests for the program — formerly known as congressional earmarks — that allow representatives and senators to fund specific projects in their districts or states.

“The Community Project Funding are our tax dollars that we actually desperately need back in the district — in the 15th,” she said. “They're to help fix infrastructure, which they're all starting to decay. Our small towns and villages and townships don't have the funding to be able to fix it — and that's what we pay our taxes for.”

Miller submitted six projects for fiscal 2026, and her office has posted its accepting applications for fiscal 2027. Miller, who took office in January 2021, did not submit projects from fiscal 2021 through fiscal 2025.

Some in the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, which Miller is a member of, are ideologically opposed to the program because they believe it to be ripe for abuse or wasteful spending.

Miller’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment about her change of heart regarding the funding or her race against Todd.

There are infrastructure projects, like replacing or upgrading water treatment plants, sewer and water pipes, water towers and roads and bridges, that could use federal funding, Todd said.

In addition to the funding, Todd objects to the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill and his continued use of tariffs when gas, oil and fertilizer prices have all risen recently.

“That's uncalled for, and we have to find a better way,” she said of the price farmers are paying for fertilizers.

Todd, who lives less than a mile outside the district in Edwardsville, said she plans to move to Logan County, northeast of Springfield, if she wins in November to live in the district and be more centrally located for constituents.