House Democratic campaign chief wins tough reelection fight

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), the head of House Democrats’ campaign arm, is projected to win reelection after a competitive challenge from Republican Esther Joy King in the battle for Illinois’s 17th District.

The Associated Press called the race on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. EST.

The race became increasingly competitive ahead of Election Day, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moving the district from likely Democrat to a lean Democrat less than a month before Nov. 3.

As polls tightened, Republicans made Bustos one of their leading targets, with outside groups including the Congressional Leadership Fund running ads against the Illinois Democrat. 

While the race against King — a reserve captain in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps and former aid worker in Afghanistan — became more competitive, Bustos expressed confidence in her ability to retain her seat.

“We are well prepared to finish strong and I live the advice that I give to all of our front-liners and red to blue candidates, which is run your race like you’re running for mayor … everything is hyperlocal,” Bustos said in part during a Zoom call with reporters in October.

“You show up, you listen, you fight for the people at home, and everything you do is for the people you represent.”

While Trump narrowly won the district in 2016, Bustos prevailed during the 2018 midterms by a whopping 24 percentage points.

King’s campaign attempted to hit Bustos for being a Washington insider and alleging she has neglected the needs of the district, but the strategy ultimately fell short. Bustos hit King for wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act and accused her of being a carpetbagger, having only lived in the district for a short period of time.