Rep. Cheri Bustos | File photo
Rep. Cheri Bustos | File photo
Esther Joy King has thrown her hat in the ring to represent Illinois' 17th Congressional District.
Roughly only an hour after veteran U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Moline) announced she would not be seeking a sixth term, King made her run official.
"I want to thank Cheri Bustos for her service and I wish her the best going forward," King said in a post to Facebook. "Cheri has always claimed she knew this district well — so she clearly saw what we’re seeing every day: (the 17th District) was going to make a change in 2022 and Cheri was destined to lose. The people of the (17th District) accomplished this. I’m proud to be part of a movement to bring better representation to the best people I know.”
King came within just four points (52% to 48%) of defeating Bustos when they ran against each other in 2020, despite Bustos having a much larger campaign war chest. It was the closest any rival came to Bustos in any of her five other runs.
"I know that the residents of this district deserve so much better than what the liberal elites have been serving them up in Washington," King told the Quad City Times. "We need a battle-ready leader. We need a fighter who won’t back down; someone who knows that the residents of the 17th District matter more than Washington, D.C., special interests."
King, who has a master's of law in taxation from Northwestern University, is set to take on Charlie Helmick in the Republican primary.
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