This story was reported during our election road trip to states across the country ahead of the 2018 midterms. Check out all of our election coverage.

The 2018 midterms are less than two months away, and one of the congressional races to watch is in central Illinois.

The state's 13th Congressional District, which represents parts of the capital, Springfield, is represented by Republican Rep. Rodney Davis since new district lines went into effect in 2012.

But Davis is facing a genuine challenge this year from a first-time candidate. Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is making health care one of her central issues.

“I don’t want anyone to lose someone they love because they can’t get to a doctor,” she says. “I believe we all deserve access to quality, affordable health care.”

Londrigan is so passionate about health care because of her son. He became critically ill after a tick bite, and she says his life was saved because her family had good health care.

That’s why she’s running to unseat Davis, who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

"We promised the American people we would do whatever necessary to fix our broken health care system, and this bill is just the start," he said. "You will continue to see the House pass legislation that focuses on lowering costs and providing better options for all Americans."

This race is being contested in a state economy that is much better off than it was a decade ago. The unemployment rate in Illinois was just 4.2 percent in July compared with 11 percent back in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Davis wants to make the race about the economy, emphasizing the Trump administration’s tax cuts. He is facing tough questions about the Trump tariffs, which are negatively affecting agriculture in Illinois.

President Trump is also a difficult issue for Davis. He said he couldn’t support Trump after the "Access Hollywood" tape, but he won’t disclose who he voted for in 2016. He says the voting booth is private.