Rep. Bustos won’t seek reelection next year
Democratic U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Moline announced Friday she would not seek reelection next year after serving since 2013 in a northwest and west-central Illinois district that has trended increasingly Republican.
“My North Star has always been to serve our community, drive real results and help build a better future. As I have rounded each new decade of my career, I’ve taken time to reflect on how I can best serve. That’s how, 10 years ago, I decided to run for Congress. And it’s why, today, I’m announcing I will not seek reelection after completing this term,” said Bustos, who will turn 60 in October.
“I feel it’s time for a new voice,” she said in a video announcement. “As for my tenure in Congress, well, my mission was never defined by the people in the corridors of power in Washington, but by the people in our communities who I’ve been lucky enough to meet along the way.”
At one time, Bustos had been viewed as a rising star among House Democrats, demonstrating an ability to win in largely Republican territory.
But she won her fifth term last November over Republican Esther Joy King by fewer than 13,000 votes out of nearly 300,000 ballots cast in a district Donald Trump won 50% to 48% over Democrat Joe Biden. It was a slight increase from Trump’s 2016 victory in the district.
Bustos’ announcement comes as Democrats who control state government are preparing to redraw the maps for Illinois’ 17 congressional districts, one fewer than in the last decade as a result of the findings of the 2020 federal census.
Democrats hold a 13-5 edge over Republicans in the state’s U.S. House delegation and the GOP was expected to lose one seat in a heavily Republican downstate region that has seen population losses.
Keeping a Democrat in Bustos’ seat under a new map poses challenges for Democrats, who are looking for territory to keep it under their control while also looking for ways to shore up the suburban and exurban seat of two-term U.S.
Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville.
Bustos’ ability to win in GOP areas earned her the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018. But she almost immediately ran into difficulties as more progressive Democratic candidates challenged party incumbents.
Bustos had maintained a DCCC policy of supporting incumbents and prohibiting political advisers, consultants or vendors from doing work with the organization if they worked against incumbents.
Despite predictions Democrats would pick up House seats in 2020, it was Republicans who gained seven seats, narrowing the Democratic majority in the House. After the election, Bustos announced she would not seek a second term as DCCC chair.
Bustos had considered a 2018 bid for the Democratic nomination for governor but opted to stay in Congress, where she was a member of House Democratic leadership.
Still, Bustos’ name has been floated for future office, including next year’s Democratic nomination for Illinois secretary of state. With Jesse White’s retirement from that post, former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and state Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort have already announced their intention to run for the Democratic nomination.
Bustos was unavailable for comment following her online announcement Friday. In her announcement, she said, “As for my next chapter, well, it will always be my goal to think big and deliver results and in time, I’ll share more on where that will take me.”
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson, who chairs the Illinois Democratic Party, said Bustos’ decision “is a big loss for the Illinois congressional delegation.”
“There’s no better champion for Illinoisans,” Kelly said in a statement. “I know she will continue to be a strong advocate for our state, wherever her next chapter leads her.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon, an outspoken opponent of former President Donald Trump and his efforts to continue to lead the GOP, took to Twitter to wish Bustos “all the best in her next steps.”
“We’ve worked together over the years to create jobs in Rockford and put the interests of the community first,” Kinzinger said. “I’ve appreciated her shared commitment to a better political dialogue and her dedication to service.”