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Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
March 15, 2016 |
Cheri Bustos  |
Cheri Bustos |
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Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
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The 17th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Cheri Bustos (D) defeated Patrick Harlan (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Bustos ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, while Harlan defeated Jack Boccarossa to win the Republican nomination.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Illinois, state law provides for a closed primary where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However, voters state their affiliation at the polls and any voter may change their affiliation on the day of the primary. A voter's eligibility to vote a party's ballot may be challenged.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Cheri Bustos (D), who was first elected in 2012.
Illinois' 17th Congressional District covers much of western Illinois and includes Carroll, Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stephenson, Warren, and Whiteside counties. Portions of Peoria, Tazewell, and Winnebago counties also lie within district boundaries.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Cheri Bustos Incumbent |
60.3% | 173,125 | |
| Republican | Patrick Harlan | 39.7% | 113,943 | |
| Total Votes | 287,068 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Patrick Harlan |
75.7% | 52,405 | ||
| Jack Boccarossa | 24.3% | 16,805 | ||
| Total Votes | 69,210 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Cheri Bustos   Patrick Harlan |
|
Primary candidates:[8] |
|
Democratic |
Republican Jack Boccarossa[9] |
Race background
Incumbent Cheri Bustos was one of the initial 14 members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2016 election.[10]
District history
2014
The 17th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Cheri Bustos (D) defeated Bobby Schilling (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos Incumbent |
55.5% | 110,560 | |
| Republican | Bobby Schilling | 44.5% | 88,785 | |
| Total Votes | 199,345 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results | ||||
2012
The 17th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Cheri Bustos (D) won the election in the district.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cheri Bustos |
53.3% | 153,519 | |
| Republican | Bobby Schilling Incumbent | 46.7% | 134,623 | |
| Independent | Eric Reyes | 0% | 10 | |
| Total Votes | 288,152 | |||
| Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Illinois elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Illinois in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| November 30, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for established party candidates | |
| January 14, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the primary election | |
| January 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | December quarterly report due | |
| March 15, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | March quarterly report due | |
| June 27, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for new political party candidates and independent candidates | |
| July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | June quarterly report due | |
| September 8, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the general election | |
| October 17, 2016 | Campaign finance | September quarterly report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 17, 2017 | Campaign finance | December quarterly report due | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2016," accessed August 7, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/7–59," accessed September 10, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Exclusive: DCCC Announces 14 Incumbents in Frontline Program," February 12, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
