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Paul Nolley, director of Project First Rate, aims to challenge incumbent Darin LaHood for the 16th Congressional District seat in the 2026 midterm election.

Nolley, a Democrat, is campaigning on strengthening the social safety net, fighting corruption and supporting organized labor.

LaHood, a Republican, is expected to have a significant fundraising advantage and plans to continue supporting the "America First" agenda.

Billing himself as an independent-minded blue collar defender of working families, Paul Nolley plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood , R-Dunlap, in the mid-term 2026 election.

Executive director of the Rockford-based nonprofit labor-management organization Project First Rate, Nolley, 36, said he leans independent, but intends to run as a Demo

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