Cheri Bustos

Cheri Bustos
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee
In office
January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byRosa DeLauro
Succeeded byDan Kildee
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byBen Ray Luján
Succeeded bySean Patrick Maloney
Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded bySteve Israel (Chair)
Succeeded by
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 17th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byBobby Schilling
Succeeded byEric Sorensen
Personal details
Born
Cheryl Lea Callahan

(1961-10-17) October 17, 1961 (age 63)
Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseGerry Bustos
Children3
RelativesJoseph R. Callahan (grandfather)
Education

Cheryl Lea Bustos (/ˈbsts/ BOOST-ohss; née Callahan; born October 17, 1961) is an American journalist, healthcare executive, and politician who served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elected to Congress from her district in the northwestern part of the state, anchored by the Illinois side of the Quad Cities and partially including Peoria and Rockford.[1] In 2019, Bustos became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).[2]

Elected to the East Moline City Council in 2007, Bustos defeated Republican Party incumbent Bobby Schilling in the 2012 election and a 2014 rematch.[3] In 2021, Bustos and Senator Dick Durbin were the only Democrats in Illinois's congressional delegation who are not from the Chicago area. On April 30, 2021, she announced that she would retire at the end of the 117th U.S. Congress.[4]

In January 2023, the Washington, DC–based public affairs and lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs announced that Bustos had joined the firm as a consultant.[5]

  1. ^ Brand, Anna (September 12, 2014). "'30 in 30': Women Candidates to Watch in 2014 – Cheri Bustos". MSNBC. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Taylor, Jessica (January 6, 2019). "A Guide To Who's Who In House Leadership For The 116th Congress". NPR.org. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Levine, Sam (November 5, 2014). "Cheri Bustos Defeats Bobby Schilling In Illinois". The Huffington Post. New York City. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  4. ^ Bendery, Jennifer (April 30, 2021). "Democrat Cheri Bustos Announces Retirement From Congress". HuffPost. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Shelley, Tim (January 23, 2023). "Former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos Takes on Consulting Gig With DC-based Firm". NPR Illinois.