Regan Deering | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois Legislature from the 88th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Caulkins |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Decatur,Illinois |
Regan Deering is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party,she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 88th district in 2024.
Deering grew up in Decatur,Illinois. [1] She graduated from Duke University with a bachelor of science in biology and from DePaul University with a master of arts. [2] After graduating from college,Deering worked at Shedd Aquarium and as a biology teacher at a private school in the Lincoln Park,Chicago. [3] She then ran a Huntington Learning Center franchise in Decatur. [3] [4] Deering became politically active during the COVID-19 pandemic, [5] joining a lawsuit against the state's mask mandate in public schools. [1] [6]
Deering filed to run for Illinois's 13th congressional district in January 2022. [7] She won the Republican Party primary, [8] [9] but lost to Democratic Party candidate Nikki Budzinski in the general election with 43.4% of the vote. [10] [11] She was elected to the Mount Zion School Board in April 2023. [6]
She ran for the 88th district of the Illinois House of Representatives in 2024. [12] [13] She won the Republican Party primary in March 2024 with 68.6% of the vote. [14] [15] She ran unopposed in the general election. [4] Shortly after taking office,she proposed a bill banning transgender girls from participating in girls sports,which failed to pass. [4] [16] She filed for re-election in June 2025. [16]
Deering's grandfather was Dwayne Andreas,former CEO and chairman of Archer Daniels Midland. [17] [18] She has three children. [19] As of 2022,she lived in Decatur. [3]