Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL) announced on Friday that she will not seek reelection in the 2022 midterm elections, but will finish out her 5th term in the House. Bustos chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for the 2020 cycle, and is responsible in-part for the massive losses that House Democrats saw on election day. Pundits and election forecasters insisted that Republicans would be pummeled in congressional elections, but Democrats ultimately lost seats and left Speaker Pelosi with a historically slim majority.
“Today, I’m announcing I will not seek reelection after completing this term,” Bustos said on Friday. “It will be a new decade, and I feel it’s time for a new voice.”
??????former ?@dccc? chair ?@RepCheri? won’t seek re-election
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 30, 2021
A picky opportunity for gop. pic.twitter.com/3AfqZOZfCF
Cheri Bustos, the Illinois Democrat who serves in a district Trump carried in 2020, announces plan to retire after her current term expires, giving GOP a pickup opportunity in bid for House majority.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 30, 2021
Cheri Bustos was DCCC chair for the 2020 cycle & had a closer-than-expected reelection of her own in #IL17
— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) April 30, 2021
Trump won the seat 2016 + 2020 & Bustos' 2020 challenger is running again
BUT this seat will be redrawn. Dems have trifecta control in Illinois & will try to shore it up https://t.co/KYise8LkcQ
She nearly lost her seat in 2020, clinching reelection by just over 12,000 votes in November. Her retirement presents a pickup opportunity for Republicans, who are well-positioned to take back the House majority in 2022.