Paul Nolley
Democrat for U.S. House, IL-16
“I'm running to be a full-time fighter for working people, seniors, farmers, and small businesses across this district.”
Paul Nolley is a Rockford Democrat and the 2026 Democratic nominee for Illinois’ 16th Congressional District, challenging Republican incumbent Darin LaHood. Born and raised in Rockford, he attended Hononegah High School and Illinois State University before building a career in the region.
Nolley serves as executive director of Project First Rate, a labor-management partnership, giving him firsthand experience with the building trades and the working families of northern and central Illinois. He entered the race to offer what he calls a different vision for the district, running a grassroots campaign that refuses corporate PAC money.
His priorities include protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, expanding workers’ access to collective bargaining, and defending farmers, seniors, and small businesses from policies he argues raise costs for ordinary Illinoisans. Nolley pitches himself as a full-time fighter for the district’s working people, willing to hold leaders in both parties accountable.
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Democrats are running up and down the DeKalb County ballot this November.