UNITED STATES - APRIL 23: Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., does a TV stand up outside of the U.S. Capitol before the House vote on the $483.4 billion economic relief package on Thursday, April 23, 2020.(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image …
CHICAGO - U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos has fended off a challenge from Republican Esther Joy King and been reelected to a fifth term.
Bustos, chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was locked in a tight race with King, an Army Reserve captain and lawyer in the northwestern Illinois district that is historically Democratic but voted for Donald Trump in 2016.
“Together, we have fought to protect and expand access to health care, rebuild our economy, strengthen our infrastructure and make our part of Illinois better for hardworking families,” Bustos said in a victory statement. “I am grateful for everyone who has volunteered and supported me throughout this campaign. But no matter what side of the aisle you sit on — Democrat or Republican — it is my commitment to you that I will work across the aisle to continue to deliver for Illinoisans.”
Bustos had vastly outraised King, bringing in nearly $4 million to King’s nearly $1.7 million and easily won reelection in previous years.
On the campaign trail, Bustos vowed to help small businesses that had closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, expand broadband internet access, and get people back to work by focusing on coronavirus testing, tracing and treatment.