COLLINSVILLE — Former state Rep. Jay Hoffman, a Collinsville Democrat, will file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form an exploratory committee to look into running for Congress in the newly drawn 13th Congressional District.

The district stretches from Champaign-Urbana down to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis and includes Springfield, Decatur, Bloomington and Normal. It does not include Danville.

U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, has already said he will run in the district. And Dr. David Gill of Bloomington, who has challenged Johnson three times and lost in the old 15th Congressional District, said he also will be a Democratic candidate in the new district.

A spokeswoman for Hoffman, Courtney Rakers, said the announcement does not mean that the former legislator is a certain candidate. Hoffman was defeated in his re-election campaign last fall by Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Edwardsville, falling by 1,240 votes, or 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent.

In his announcement, Hoffman said he will immediately begin touring the 13th District and expects to make a decision by the end of September.

Hoffman plans to participate in a Labor Day parade in Decatur on Monday, and will be at Labor Day picnics in Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal. The local picnic is at Prairie Park in Urbana.

"While Illinois families are hurting, those in Congress have failed miserably to create jobs, get our economy going or seriously reduce the deficit," Hoffman said in a prepared statement. "Like most Americans I am disgusted with Congress' failure to get things done. Central and southwestern Illinois need a voice in Washington that will work in a bipartisan fashion to find common sense solutions to put people back to work."