Cheri Bustos

The daughter of a public servant and a social worker, Cheri Bustos is committed to finding solutions to the problems facing families in the 17th Congressional District.

Cheri spent 17 years as a reporter for the Quad-City Times. Using her position to uncover corruption in local government and spotlight child abuse, Cheri’s reporting earned her national recognition and led to legislative changes that improved local government services. As a senior official with one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, Cheri has spent the past decade on the front lines of health care, gaining a unique understanding of the challenges facing both patients and providers.

Cheri was twice elected to the East Moline City Council, where she led downtown revitalization programs and the development of a health care clinic for those underserved. In Congress, Cheri will focus on protecting Social Security and Medicare, strengthening Illinois’ economy and restoring civility to our politics.

Cheri is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Cheri and her husband, Gerry, a sheriff’s deputy with the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department and commander of the Quad-City Bomb Squad, have been married 25 years. They have three sons and two grandchildren.