Donald Rients is a technical worker for State Farm Insurance. He lives in Benson, which is in Woodford County. Rients first ran for Congress in 2015 when the 18th District seat was vacant following the resignation of Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL). Rients lost the special Republican primary election to Darin LaHood.
Rients bills himself as a conservative Republican, both fiscally and socially. He said he is running again because he feels the nation needs a government that represents the people, which he said is not happening right now.
And he chastised Congress for continually approving deficit budgets. “They don’t seem to care that we keep getting further and further into debt.”
Rients said the overall scope of the federal government is too large. He would support across-the-board cuts.
Rients also said the nation could reign in spending by cutting out fraud in welfare programs, and he said the U.S. gives too many free handouts to the rest of the world’s nations.
Two candidates are seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the 18th District: Rients and current Congressman Darin LaHood.
Three people are running for the Democratic nomination: Brian Deters, Junius Rodriguez, and Darrel Miller.
Early voting is already underway for the March 20 primary.
