Illinois's 17th congressional district
| Illinois's 17th congressional district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Interactive map of district boundaries. Points indicate major cities in the district. | |||
| Representative |
| ||
| Area | 6,933 sq mi (17,960 km2) | ||
| Distribution |
| ||
| Population (2019) | 666,201 | ||
| Median household income | $50,346[1] | ||
| Ethnicity |
| ||
| Cook PVI | R+2[2][3] | ||
The 17th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Cheri Bustos. It includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peoria and Rockford.
The 17th congressional district has shifted northward after redistricting in 2012. It subsequently lost Quincy and Decatur, as well as its share of Springfield. It was generally thought that the redrawn map would allow the district to revert to the Democrats, who held it without interruption from 1983 to 2011.[4] As expected, incumbent Representative Bobby Schilling was defeated, after serving only one term, by Democratic opponent Cheri Bustos in the 2012 election cycle, who has served since that election.[5]
It is one of the few Democratic-leaning districts that voted for Barack Obama and Donald Trump twice each. It is also one of seven districts that voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election while being held by a Democrat.
This district contains the birthplace of former president Ronald Reagan.
2011 redistricting[edit]
The district covers parts of Peoria, Tazewell and Winnebago counties, and all of Carroll, Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stephenson, Warren and Whiteside counties, as of the 2011 redistricting which followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Canton, East Moline, Freeport, Galesburg, Kewanee, Moline, Peoria, Rock Island, Rockford, Pekin and Sterling are included.[6] The representatives for these districts were elected in the 2012 primary and general elections, and the boundaries became effective on January 5, 2013.
History[edit]
From 2003 to 2013 the district was known as "the rabbit on a skateboard" for its unusual shape devised as the outcome of gerrymandering.[7][8] The boundaries were drawn in a bipartisan deal to protect both Democratic incumbent Lane Evans and neighboring Republican incumbents. The lines of the district were drawn to move Republican voters into neighboring districts and to include Democratic neighborhoods in Springfield and Decatur.[9] Evans retired in 2006 as a result of declining health, and the seat was won by his longtime aide Phil Hare. Although the district had been designed to elect a Democrat, Hare lost in 2010 to Republican pizzeria owner Bobby Schilling. In 2012, Democrat Cheri Bustos won the district election and is the district's current representative.
In early 2021, Cherri Bustos announced her intention to retire at the end of the 117th congress.[10] Former WREX and WQAD meteorologist Eric Sorenson has announced his candidacy for this seat.[11]
Election results from recent presidential races[edit]
| Year | Results |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Clinton 58 - 34% |
| 2000 | Gore 53 – 43% |
| 2004 | Kerry 51 – 48% |
| 2008 | Obama 60 – 39%[3] |
| 2012 | Obama 57 – 41%[3] |
| 2016 | Trump 47.4 – 46.7%[12] |
| 2020 | Trump 49.7 – 48.1%[13] |
List of members representing the district[edit]
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Election results[edit]
2012[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos | 153,519 | 53.3 | |
| Republican | Bobby Schilling (incumbent) | 134,623 | 46.7 | |
| Independent | Eric Reyes (write-in) | 10 | 0.0 | |
| Independent | Joe Faber (write-in) | 9 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 288,161 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2014[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos (incumbent) | 110,560 | 55.5 | |
| Republican | Bobby Schilling | 88,785 | 44.5 | |
| Independent | Bill Fawell (write-in) | 16 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 199,361 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos (incumbent) | 173,125 | 60.3 | |
| Republican | Patrick Harlan | 113,943 | 39.7 | |
| Total votes | 287,068 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos (incumbent) | 142,659 | 62.1 | |
| Republican | Bill Fawell | 87,090 | 37.9 | |
| Total votes | 229,749 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2020[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos (incumbent) | 156,011 | 52.02 | -10.07% | |
| Republican | Esther Joy King | 143,863 | 47.97 | +10.06% | |
| Write-in | 21 | 0.01 | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 299,895 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
- ^ "Introducing the 2021 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c Barone, Michael; McCutcheon, Chuck (2013). The Almanac of American Politics 2014. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 593–595. ISBN 978-0-226-10544-4. Copyright National Journal.
- ^ Sweeny, Chuck. "Rockford stands to lose big in the new 17th District". Rockford Register Star. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Bustos beats Schilling in redrawn 17th District". aledotimesrecord.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
- ^ Illinois Congressional District 17, Illinois Board of Elections
- ^ "Electoral boundaries in America". The Economist. October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
- ^ Aaron Blake (July 27, 2011). "Name that district! (Gerrymandering edition)". Washington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ "5 Ways to Tilt an Election" (PDF). The New York Times. September 25, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Democrat Cheri Bustos Announces Retirement From Congress". HuffPost. April 30, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ "Former Rockford meteorologist Eric Sorensen announces run for Illinois' 17th Congressional District". WIFR-LD. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Daily Kos Elections 2008, 2012 & 2016 presidential election results for congressional districts used in 2016 elections". Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ "Daily Kos Elections 2012, 2016 & 2020 presidential election results for congressional districts used in 2020 elections". Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ a b "Illinois General Election 2014". Illinois State Board of Elections. November 4, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ "2018 General Election Official Vote Totals Book".
- ^ "Election Results 2020 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Illinois 2020 Election Results". Chicago Sun-Times. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
References[edit]
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
External links[edit]
- Washington Post page on the 17th District of Illinois
- U.S. Census Bureau - 17th District Fact Sheet
- "U.S. Census Bureau - 17th District map" (PDF). (6.29 MiB)
Coordinates: 41°23′22″N 90°13′07″W / 41.38944°N 90.21861°W