Darin LaHood

Darin LaHood is a Republican U.S. Representative from Illinois, currently representing the 16th congressional district since 2023. He was first elected to the House in a special election on September 10, 2015, to succeed Aaron Schock in the 18th district, which he represented until redistricting. A native of Peoria, Illinois, LaHood is the son of Ray LaHood, who served as a U.S. Representative and as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. He earned his B.A. from Loras College and his J.D. from the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School. Before his tenure in Congress, LaHood served in the Illinois State Senate from 2011 to 2015. His legal career includes more than nine years as a state and federal prosecutor; he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Nevada, where he was a terrorism prosecutor, and as an Assistant State's Attorney in Cook and Tazewell Counties. In the House, he is a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

LaHood maintains a consistently conservative voting record with a focus on fiscal policy, trade, and national security. He advocates for tax reform and fiscal responsibility to stimulate economic growth and reduce federal deficits. On healthcare, he supports repealing components of the Affordable Care Act in favor of a patient-centered, market-based system and has proposed means-testing for healthcare tax credits. He is a proponent of free trade, particularly for agricultural and manufactured goods, and co-chairs several bipartisan trade-related caucuses. Regarding immigration, he prioritizes border security and strict enforcement of existing laws, often citing his background as a federal prosecutor. Additionally, LaHood is a vocal supporter of Second Amendment rights and anti-abortion ('Right to Life') legislation.