The 51st district includes all or parts of McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Champaign, Vermillion, and Edgar counties in Central Illinois.

[5][6] In the staunchly Republican district, Rose defeated Democratic candidate John Hayden by a two-to-one margin.

[7][8] In 2009, Rose introduced legislative resolutions to overhaul the trustee selection process at the University of Illinois and demanded additional audits of IllinoisVENTURES after the state auditor found legal violations in a previous investigation.

Rose opted to run for the "newly" created 51st Senate district while Mitchell ran for re-election in the House.

[11][12] Rose currently serves on the following committees: Appropriations (Minority Spokesperson); Approp Ed; Insurance; Judiciary; Transportation; Privacy.