Cheryl Lea Bustos is an American journalist, healthcare executive, and politician who served as the US representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district from 2013 to 2023.
38 Facts About Cheri Bustos
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In 2019, Cheri Bustos became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
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In January 2023, the Washington, DC-based public affairs and lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs announced that Cheri Bustos had joined the firm as a consultant.
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Cheri Bustos was born in Springfield, Illinois, one of three children of Gene and Ann Callahan.
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Cheri Bustos's grandfather Joseph R Callahan was a hog farmer and a state legislator.
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Cheri Bustos's father worked for The State Journal-Register, then served as assistant press secretary to Governor Samuel Shapiro, press secretary to Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon, and chief of staff to US Senator Alan Dixon.
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Cheri Bustos attended Illinois College, then transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, from which she received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1983.
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From 1983 to 1984, Cheri Bustos interned with the Illinois Senate Democrats.
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Cheri Bustos went on to receive a master's degree in journalism from the University of Illinois Springfield in 1985.
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In 1985, Cheri Bustos moved to the Quad Cities to work as a night-shift police reporter for the Quad-City Times.
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Cheri Bustos worked there for 17 years, first as a reporter and then as an editor.
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From 2001 to 2007, Cheri Bustos worked as senior director of corporate communications for Trinity Regional Health Systems.
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In 2007, Cheri Bustos ran for the East Moline City Council from that city's 4th Ward.
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In February 2010, Cheri Bustos secured state and federal money to purchase a $40,000 electronic welcome sign that was placed at the border of East Moline.
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Cheri Bustos was criticized for voting for a $624,000 project to improve 10th Street in East Moline, which runs adjacent to her house; the Schilling campaign dubbed it the "Cheri Bustos Parkway".
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Gaulrapp reported that during a meeting with Durbin about withdrawing, Durbin said that Cheri Bustos had babysat for his family and was a close friend.
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Cheri Bustos received a significant boost from redistricting, which replaced Quincy, Decatur and the district's portion of Springfield with the more Democratic portions of Peoria and Rockford.
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Cheri Bustos is the first Democrat to represent a significant portion of Peoria since 1927, and only the second Democrat since the 1850s to represent a significant portion of Rockford.
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Cheri Bustos was reelected to the House in the 2016 general election, defeating Republican nominee Patrick Harlan, an insurance agent, truck driver, and local Tea Party activist.
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Cheri Bustos considered running for the US Senate in the 2016 election, but announced in March 2015 that she would not.
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In September 2016, reports emerged that Cheri Bustos was a possible candidate for Governor of Illinois in the 2018 election.
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In February 2017, Cheri Bustos declined to run in that election.
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Shortly after taking office, Cheri Bustos joined the bipartisan No Labels group.
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In 2013, Cheri Bustos's first sponsored legislation was to create a congressional government waste reduction board.
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Cheri Bustos has said she wants to create a "manufacturing triangle" connecting Peoria, the Quad Cities, and Rockford and anchored by Caterpillar, John Deere, and the aerospace industry, respectively.
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Cheri Bustos supports putting in place job-training programs at area community colleges to better prepare workers for skilled jobs in manufacturing.
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Cheri Bustos opposed a full extension of the Bush tax cuts.
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In 2016, Cheri Bustos sponsored legislation exempting minor league baseball players from minimum wage laws.
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In March 2012 Cheri Bustos called for cuts in defense spending.
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In October 2015, Cheri Bustos went to Cuba on a trip organized by the Illinois Cuba Working Group.
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In March 2016, Cheri Bustos was part of the congressional delegation that took part in Obama's trip to Cuba and said that Cuba represented a "huge trade opportunity" for the US "when it comes to agriculture".
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In June 2017, Cheri Bustos argued that her party's "anti-Trump" message was not a winning electoral formula.
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Cheri Bustos was one of six House Democrats to vote against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020.
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Cheri Bustos said she voted against it because it lacked clarity on what constitutes a nonviolent offense.
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Cheri Bustos supported Obama's order that all health plans cover birth control and "morning after" pills.
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In January 2023, the Washington, DC-based public affairs and lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs announced that Cheri Bustos had joined the firm as a consultant.
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Cheri Bustos met and married Gerry Cheri Bustos, a Quad Cities local, not long after moving to the Quad Cities.
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Cheri Bustos is the Rock Island County Sheriff and commander of the Quad City Bomb Squad.