U.S. House of Representatives
Financial Disclosure Form Read More>>

FEC Listings for the 18th Congressional
District Candidates Read More>>

FEC Listing for Colleen Callahan Read More>>

FEC Listing to Citizens for Callahan Read More>>

Federal Election Commission Read More>>

United State House of Representatives Committee
on Standards of Official Conduct Read More>>

Central Illinois’ voice of experience working
for you in Washington

My name is Colleen Callahan, and I want to be the next Congresswoman representing the 18th District of Illinois.

The reason I’m running is simple. I want to give our communities a voice in Washington, and I want to be a public servant, advancing the interests and needs of all the constituents of the 18th Congressional district.

I want to work alongside the people of Central Illinois to enact changes that are needed to improve our lives, our state and our country rather than work to advance my own interests. I am not a career politician, and I have no intention of becoming one. Without getting myself wrapped up in the all-too-common political pressures of Washington, I will be able to truly and faithfully speak for the interests of the people of Central Illinois.  Working together, we can address the issues that are of concern to us all.

In short, I am running for Congress to help people.

Dedication you can trust

My qualifications to represent Central Illinois are my roots and my wings.

That is to say, my roots in agriculture taught me the value of responsibility from a young age. When my parents trusted me to care for a litter of pigs or a calf, I understood that I was depended upon, and that I would be held accountable. These are values that I have only strengthened and relied on increasingly throughout my life.

My “wings” are what took me to a 30-year broadcasting career, where I educated and informed. I communicated and I represented. I have been a voice for others who didn’t feel they had one, and I have amplified the voices of many when they needed to be heard. I will do the same in Congress by speaking for the communities of Central Illinois.  

At home in the Heartland

I truly feel that I owe what I have, and even who I am, to Illinois and especially the 18th District.

After I graduated from the University of Illinois in 1973, I moved to Peoria to become the farm broadcaster for WMBD radio. This job let me combine my agricultural roots with my passion for communicating, making ties between individuals, conveying ideas and, ultimately, helping my community.

It was also during my time as a farm broadcaster, on the radio and later TV, that I had the opportunity to travel the world. This included a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, paid for at my own expense, at the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Giving back to the community

It is my sincere hope to serve all the communities of the 18th District in Congress, as much as I have devoted myself to community service in the Peoria area over the years.

This includes serving on the executive boards of many local organizations, including the Peoria YWCA, the Nature Conservancy, Great Rivers Regional Board, Youth for a Cause, Peoria Children’s Home, University of Illinois Alumni Association, and Morton Community Bank.

I have also served as a member of the St. Francis Medical Center Women’s Health Services Public Relations Committee, and am a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. I also had the privilege of being named the first female President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB), and I was chairman of the NAFB Ethics Committee.

A family tradition

In my run for Congress, I am fully supported by my family.

My husband Dick Burns and I live on a farm outside of Peoria where we raise purebred Angus cattle. Dick and I both graduated from the University of Illinois in 1973, and we have been happy to call Peoria and the 18th District home for all these years.

We couldn’t be more proud of our daughter, Brittney, who, after graduating from the University of Illinois and DePaul University, is now a practicing attorney in Chicago.  

My mother Elaine and I are the co-chairs of the Fighting Illinois Pork Club, which was founded by my father, Fran Callahan. The Club financially supports the University of Illinois Animal Science Department and the athletic scholarship fund. Since this organization was founded by my father nearly 30 years ago, it has raised more than $500,000 to fund higher education programs.