Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2020
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Nov. 3 (in person); Oct. 6 (by mail); Oct. 18 (online)
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Sept. 24
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 17 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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| Illinois' 17th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: December 2, 2019 |
| Primary: March 17, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Cheri Bustos (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Illinois |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th Illinois elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
All U.S. congressional districts, including the 17th Congressional District of Illinois, held elections in 2020.
Incumbent Cheri Bustos won election in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 17.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
Heading into the election the incumbent was Democrat Cheri Bustos, 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.[1]
This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.
Post-election analysis
The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
| Presidential and congressional election results, Illinois' 17th Congressional District, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Presidential | U.S. House |
Democratic candidate  |
48.1 | 52 |
Republican candidate  |
49.7 | 48 |
| Difference | 1.6 | 4 |
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Illinois modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in ballot applications were sent to all registered voters in the general election who cast ballots in the 2018 general election, the 2019 consolidated election, or the 2020 primary election.
- Candidate filing procedures: The following changes were made to the filing procedures for unaffiliated and new-party candidates: petition signature requirements were reduced to 10 percent of their original numbers; candidates were authorized to collect petition signatures electronically; and the filing deadline was extended to July 20, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Incumbent Cheri Bustos defeated Esther Joy King and General Parker in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cheri Bustos (D) | 52.0 | 156,011 |
 | Esther Joy King (R) | 48.0 | 143,863 | |
 | General Parker (Independent) (Write-in)  | 0.0 | 21 | |
| Total votes: 299,895 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Incumbent Cheri Bustos defeated Spanky Edwards in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cheri Bustos | 99.7 | 56,388 |
 | Spanky Edwards (Write-in) | 0.3 | 189 | |
| Total votes: 56,577 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- William Swisher (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Esther Joy King defeated Bill Fawell in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Esther Joy King | 65.1 | 19,464 |
 | Bill Fawell | 34.9 | 10,423 | |
| Total votes: 29,887 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Eleven of 102 Illinois counties—10.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Alexander County, Illinois | 8.30% | 13.65% | 12.62% | ||||
| Carroll County, Illinois | 26.69% | 1.49% | 4.81% | ||||
| Fulton County, Illinois | 14.93% | 11.04% | 21.33% | ||||
| Henderson County, Illinois | 28.43% | 12.25% | 17.67% | ||||
| Henry County, Illinois | 20.99% | 3.08% | 7.74% | ||||
| Jo Daviess County, Illinois | 14.64% | 1.16% | 10.49% | ||||
| Knox County, Illinois | 2.91% | 17.37% | 19.89% | ||||
| Mercer County, Illinois | 20.36% | 7.39% | 11.91% | ||||
| Putnam County, Illinois | 19.92% | 1.82% | 15.64% | ||||
| Warren County, Illinois | 16.50% | 5.47% | 8.08% | ||||
| Whiteside County, Illinois | 6.18% | 17.02% | 17.56% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Illinois with 55.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 38.8 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Illinois voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 50 percent of the time. Illinois voted Democratic in all five elections from 2000 to 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Illinois. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[2][3]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 75 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 39.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 76 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 42.1 points. Clinton won 13 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 43 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 15 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 42 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 22.1 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 83.62% | 15.21% | D+68.4 | 82.32% | 14.37% | D+68 | D |
| 2 | 82.39% | 15.42% | D+67 | 80.05% | 14.65% | D+65.4 | D |
| 3 | 79.93% | 18.51% | D+61.4 | 79.31% | 17.11% | D+62.2 | D |
| 4 | 85.70% | 11.51% | D+74.2 | 86.74% | 8.01% | D+78.7 | D |
| 5 | 85.51% | 13.50% | D+72 | 86.81% | 9.67% | D+77.1 | D |
| 6 | 87.98% | 11.09% | D+76.9 | 85.82% | 10.82% | D+75 | D |
| 7 | 80.06% | 18.99% | D+61.1 | 80.62% | 15.84% | D+64.8 | D |
| 8 | 86.10% | 13.03% | D+73.1 | 85.11% | 11.52% | D+73.6 | D |
| 9 | 87.33% | 11.58% | D+75.8 | 87.72% | 8.52% | D+79.2 | D |
| 10 | 89.16% | 9.51% | D+79.7 | 89.44% | 6.93% | D+82.5 | D |
| 11 | 70.89% | 26.65% | D+44.2 | 80.64% | 13.16% | D+67.5 | D |
| 12 | 72.73% | 24.96% | D+47.8 | 81.23% | 13.31% | D+67.9 | D |
| 13 | 83.32% | 14.08% | D+69.2 | 85.26% | 10.09% | D+75.2 | D |
| 14 | 86.60% | 10.95% | D+75.7 | 86.67% | 8.59% | D+78.1 | D |
| 15 | 61.08% | 37.44% | D+23.6 | 63.15% | 32.35% | D+30.8 | D |
| 16 | 67.28% | 31.33% | D+36 | 70.19% | 26.06% | D+44.1 | D |
| 17 | 61.83% | 36.93% | D+24.9 | 69.97% | 25.22% | D+44.8 | D |
| 18 | 66.52% | 31.94% | D+34.6 | 76.28% | 18.12% | D+58.2 | D |
| 19 | 63.32% | 34.68% | D+28.6 | 60.22% | 34.98% | D+25.2 | D |
| 20 | 52.74% | 45.64% | D+7.1 | 51.65% | 43.61% | D+8 | R |
| 21 | 74.33% | 24.11% | D+50.2 | 74.36% | 21.32% | D+53 | D |
| 22 | 71.92% | 26.75% | D+45.2 | 72.11% | 24.01% | D+48.1 | D |
| 23 | 68.15% | 30.25% | D+37.9 | 68.21% | 27.01% | D+41.2 | D |
| 24 | 76.56% | 21.82% | D+54.7 | 78.51% | 17.01% | D+61.5 | D |
| 25 | 93.09% | 5.86% | D+87.2 | 91.45% | 5.66% | D+85.8 | D |
| 26 | 85.59% | 13.65% | D+71.9 | 86.53% | 10.16% | D+76.4 | D |
| 27 | 81.90% | 17.46% | D+64.4 | 79.07% | 18.14% | D+60.9 | D |
| 28 | 79.41% | 19.90% | D+59.5 | 75.46% | 21.59% | D+53.9 | D |
| 29 | 83.65% | 15.75% | D+67.9 | 81.69% | 15.87% | D+65.8 | D |
| 30 | 82.89% | 16.29% | D+66.6 | 79.99% | 16.71% | D+63.3 | D |
| 31 | 82.49% | 16.80% | D+65.7 | 77.74% | 19.39% | D+58.4 | D |
| 32 | 87.17% | 12.26% | D+74.9 | 82.32% | 15.18% | D+67.1 | D |
| 33 | 87.38% | 12.10% | D+75.3 | 85.39% | 12.24% | D+73.2 | D |
| 34 | 80.42% | 18.91% | D+61.5 | 76.17% | 21.23% | D+54.9 | D |
| 35 | 56.71% | 41.96% | D+14.8 | 53.87% | 41.66% | D+12.2 | D |
| 36 | 56.82% | 41.83% | D+15 | 56.15% | 39.16% | D+17 | D |
| 37 | 39.72% | 58.89% | R+19.2 | 39.49% | 55.32% | R+15.8 | R |
| 38 | 78.87% | 20.34% | D+58.5 | 76.44% | 20.51% | D+55.9 | D |
| 39 | 82.46% | 14.81% | D+67.7 | 82.71% | 12.52% | D+70.2 | D |
| 40 | 81.75% | 15.46% | D+66.3 | 82.84% | 11.67% | D+71.2 | D |
| 41 | 47.44% | 51.05% | R+3.6 | 55.32% | 38.20% | D+17.1 | R |
| 42 | 45.06% | 53.21% | R+8.2 | 51.28% | 41.48% | D+9.8 | R |
| 43 | 65.55% | 32.50% | D+33.1 | 65.81% | 28.61% | D+37.2 | D |
| 44 | 62.30% | 36.05% | D+26.3 | 62.48% | 32.17% | D+30.3 | D |
| 45 | 48.18% | 50.30% | R+2.1 | 48.39% | 46.46% | D+1.9 | R |
| 46 | 58.46% | 39.71% | D+18.8 | 59.07% | 35.26% | D+23.8 | D |
| 47 | 43.33% | 55.30% | R+12 | 51.72% | 41.63% | D+10.1 | R |
| 48 | 49.08% | 49.10% | R+0 | 55.13% | 37.66% | D+17.5 | R |
| 49 | 47.84% | 50.47% | R+2.6 | 52.14% | 40.94% | D+11.2 | R |
| 50 | 42.69% | 55.72% | R+13 | 44.59% | 48.88% | R+4.3 | R |
| 51 | 42.13% | 56.55% | R+14.4 | 50.03% | 43.68% | D+6.3 | R |
| 52 | 44.02% | 54.27% | R+10.3 | 45.31% | 48.09% | R+2.8 | R |
| 53 | 49.78% | 48.75% | D+1 | 55.58% | 38.54% | D+17 | R |
| 54 | 47.53% | 50.89% | R+3.4 | 53.16% | 40.31% | D+12.9 | R |
| 55 | 55.26% | 43.04% | D+12.2 | 57.50% | 37.06% | D+20.4 | D |
| 56 | 55.72% | 42.70% | D+13 | 56.72% | 37.77% | D+19 | D |
| 57 | 57.78% | 40.95% | D+16.8 | 61.54% | 33.50% | D+28 | D |
| 58 | 56.67% | 42.28% | D+14.4 | 67.90% | 27.15% | D+40.8 | D |
| 59 | 59.17% | 39.44% | D+19.7 | 64.53% | 30.30% | D+34.2 | D |
| 60 | 75.70% | 23.34% | D+52.4 | 75.53% | 20.08% | D+55.5 | D |
| 61 | 50.84% | 47.70% | D+3.1 | 51.76% | 42.09% | D+9.7 | R |
| 62 | 54.69% | 43.51% | D+11.2 | 55.13% | 38.21% | D+16.9 | D |
| 63 | 45.16% | 52.83% | R+7.7 | 40.55% | 52.68% | R+12.1 | R |
| 64 | 44.10% | 54.17% | R+10.1 | 41.29% | 52.51% | R+11.2 | R |
| 65 | 43.52% | 55.10% | R+11.6 | 46.78% | 47.37% | R+0.6 | R |
| 66 | 46.19% | 52.24% | R+6.1 | 46.91% | 46.96% | R+0.1 | R |
| 67 | 70.11% | 28.12% | D+42 | 64.34% | 30.36% | D+34 | D |
| 68 | 48.13% | 50.10% | R+2 | 44.36% | 49.75% | R+5.4 | R |
| 69 | 43.41% | 54.91% | R+11.5 | 38.97% | 55.13% | R+16.2 | R |
| 70 | 49.12% | 48.75% | D+0.4 | 46.09% | 46.77% | R+0.7 | R |
| 71 | 56.68% | 41.68% | D+15 | 43.93% | 50.00% | R+6.1 | R |
| 72 | 62.60% | 35.95% | D+26.7 | 53.78% | 40.19% | D+13.6 | D |
| 73 | 37.57% | 60.78% | R+23.2 | 34.45% | 59.10% | R+24.7 | R |
| 74 | 50.34% | 47.90% | D+2.4 | 37.36% | 56.41% | R+19.1 | R |
| 75 | 43.44% | 54.51% | R+11.1 | 36.58% | 57.17% | R+20.6 | R |
| 76 | 52.08% | 46.00% | D+6.1 | 42.52% | 51.68% | R+9.2 | R |
| 77 | 64.97% | 33.66% | D+31.3 | 64.89% | 30.98% | D+33.9 | D |
| 78 | 80.57% | 18.10% | D+62.5 | 80.12% | 15.92% | D+64.2 | D |
| 79 | 48.61% | 49.64% | R+1 | 41.25% | 53.07% | R+11.8 | R |
| 80 | 66.23% | 32.75% | D+33.5 | 64.99% | 31.42% | D+33.6 | D |
| 81 | 49.98% | 48.31% | D+1.7 | 54.80% | 38.55% | D+16.3 | R |
| 82 | 41.03% | 57.68% | R+16.7 | 43.86% | 50.67% | R+6.8 | R |
| 83 | 69.12% | 29.20% | D+39.9 | 69.54% | 24.80% | D+44.7 | D |
| 84 | 59.63% | 38.93% | D+20.7 | 63.03% | 31.19% | D+31.8 | D |
| 85 | 63.64% | 34.81% | D+28.8 | 60.90% | 33.45% | D+27.5 | D |
| 86 | 65.21% | 33.17% | D+32 | 61.15% | 34.04% | D+27.1 | D |
| 87 | 36.99% | 60.88% | R+23.9 | 30.62% | 63.34% | R+32.7 | R |
| 88 | 40.02% | 57.84% | R+17.8 | 38.41% | 54.54% | R+16.1 | R |
| 89 | 45.79% | 52.18% | R+6.4 | 35.99% | 57.98% | R+22 | R |
| 90 | 42.91% | 55.12% | R+12.2 | 36.05% | 57.26% | R+21.2 | R |
| 91 | 50.46% | 47.13% | D+3.3 | 37.74% | 55.81% | R+18.1 | R |
| 92 | 63.44% | 34.67% | D+28.8 | 59.86% | 34.18% | D+25.7 | D |
| 93 | 49.27% | 48.45% | D+0.8 | 36.82% | 57.40% | R+20.6 | R |
| 94 | 37.54% | 60.67% | R+23.1 | 26.64% | 68.63% | R+42 | R |
| 95 | 42.49% | 54.95% | R+12.5 | 28.84% | 65.74% | R+36.9 | R |
| 96 | 58.74% | 39.47% | D+19.3 | 50.73% | 44.13% | D+6.6 | D |
| 97 | 46.85% | 51.64% | R+4.8 | 47.31% | 46.94% | D+0.4 | R |
| 98 | 59.53% | 39.10% | D+20.4 | 58.02% | 36.87% | D+21.2 | D |
| 99 | 41.40% | 56.65% | R+15.3 | 41.34% | 52.43% | R+11.1 | R |
| 100 | 37.26% | 60.42% | R+23.2 | 25.75% | 69.57% | R+43.8 | R |
| 101 | 33.91% | 64.22% | R+30.3 | 28.70% | 65.31% | R+36.6 | R |
| 102 | 33.32% | 64.74% | R+31.4 | 26.87% | 67.69% | R+40.8 | R |
| 103 | 67.85% | 28.35% | D+39.5 | 71.56% | 20.92% | D+50.6 | D |
| 104 | 46.02% | 52.10% | R+6.1 | 42.48% | 52.16% | R+9.7 | R |
| 105 | 41.33% | 56.81% | R+15.5 | 45.19% | 47.11% | R+1.9 | R |
| 106 | 29.26% | 68.84% | R+39.6 | 22.90% | 71.51% | R+48.6 | R |
| 107 | 34.01% | 64.10% | R+30.1 | 22.81% | 72.62% | R+49.8 | R |
| 108 | 34.28% | 63.51% | R+29.2 | 26.75% | 67.49% | R+40.7 | R |
| 109 | 27.23% | 70.75% | R+43.5 | 17.21% | 79.13% | R+61.9 | R |
| 110 | 37.75% | 60.20% | R+22.5 | 27.66% | 67.10% | R+39.4 | R |
| 111 | 51.31% | 46.13% | D+5.2 | 39.05% | 55.40% | R+16.4 | D |
| 112 | 48.97% | 48.87% | D+0.1 | 44.35% | 49.85% | R+5.5 | D |
| 113 | 58.59% | 39.41% | D+19.2 | 53.73% | 41.03% | D+12.7 | D |
| 114 | 63.89% | 34.84% | D+29.1 | 57.60% | 38.35% | D+19.3 | D |
| 115 | 43.13% | 53.93% | R+10.8 | 33.20% | 61.29% | R+28.1 | R |
| 116 | 41.16% | 56.77% | R+15.6 | 29.39% | 66.21% | R+36.8 | D |
| 117 | 37.92% | 59.99% | R+22.1 | 26.42% | 69.38% | R+43 | R |
| 118 | 39.86% | 58.03% | R+18.2 | 28.44% | 67.59% | R+39.2 | D |
| Total | 57.61% | 40.74% | D+16.9 | 55.96% | 38.85% | D+17.1 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+3, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Illinois' 17th Congressional District the 181st most Democratic nationally.[4]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[5]
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheri Bustos | Democratic Party | $5,063,556 | $6,479,373 | $918,624 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Esther Joy King | Republican Party | $2,058,085 | $2,055,794 | $2,292 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| General Parker | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]
| Race ratings: Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District represented by a Democrat in 2020 and won by Donald Trump in 2016
This district was one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts up in 2020 that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. Most were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2020.
| 2020 Democratic-held U.S. House districts won by Donald Trump in 2016 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Ran in 2020? | 2018 congressional margin | 2016 presidential margin | 2012 presidential margin | ||||||||
| Arizona's 1st | Tom O'Halleran |
Yes | Democrats+7.7 | Trump+1.1 | Romney+2.5 | ||||||||
| Georgia's 6th | Lucy McBath |
Yes | Democrats+1.0 | Trump+1.5 | Romney+23.3 | ||||||||
| Illinois' 14th | Lauren Underwood |
Yes | Democrats+5.0 | Trump+3.9 | Romney+10 | ||||||||
| Illinois' 17th | Cheri Bustos |
Yes | Democrats+24.2 | Trump+0.7 | Obama+17 | ||||||||
| Iowa's 1st | Abby Finkenauer |
Yes | Democrats+5.1 | Trump+3.5 | Obama+13.7 | ||||||||
| Iowa's 2nd | Dave Loebsack |
Retired | Democrats+5.2 | Trump+4.1 | Obama+13.1 | ||||||||
| Iowa's 3rd | Cindy Axne |
Yes | Democrats+2.2 | Trump+3.5 | Obama+4.2 | ||||||||
| Maine's 2nd | Jared Golden |
Yes | Democrats+1.3 | Trump+10.3 | Obama+8.6 | ||||||||
| Michigan's 8th | Elissa Slotkin |
Yes | Democrats+3.8 | Trump+6.7 | Romney+3.1 | ||||||||
| Michigan's 11th | Haley Stevens |
Yes | Democrats+6.7 | Trump+4.4 | Romney+5.4 | ||||||||
| Minnesota's 2nd | Angie Craig |
Yes | Democrats+5.5 | Trump+1.2 | Obama+0.1 | ||||||||
| Minnesota's 7th | Collin Peterson |
Yes | Democrats+4.3 | Trump+30.8 | Romney+9.8 | ||||||||
| Nevada's 3rd | Susie Lee |
Yes | Democrats+9.1 | Trump+1.0 | Obama+0.8 | ||||||||
| New Hampshire's 1st | Chris Pappas |
Yes | Democrats+8.6 | Trump+1.6 | Obama+1.6 | ||||||||
| New Jersey's 3rd | Andrew Kim |
Yes | Democrats+1.3 | Trump+6.2 | Obama+4.6 | ||||||||
| New Jersey's 5th | Josh Gottheimer |
Yes | Democrats+13.7 | Trump+1.1 | Romney+3.0 | ||||||||
| New Jersey's 11th | Mikie Sherrill |
Yes | Democrats+14.6 | Trump+0.9 | Romney+5.8 | ||||||||
| New Mexico's 2nd | Xochitl Torres Small |
Yes | Democrats+1.9 | Trump+10.2 | Romney+6.8 | ||||||||
| New York's 11th | Max Rose |
Yes | Democrats+6.5 | Trump+9.8 | Obama+4.3 | ||||||||
| New York's 18th | Sean Maloney |
Yes | Democrats+10.9 | Trump+1.9 | Obama+4.3 | ||||||||
| New York's 19th | Antonio Delgado |
Yes | Democrats+5.2 | Trump+6.8 | Obama+6.2 | ||||||||
| New York's 22nd | Anthony Brindisi |
Yes | Democrats+1.8 | Trump+15.5 | Romney+0.4 | ||||||||
| Oklahoma's 5th | Kendra Horn |
Yes | Democrats+1.4 | Trump+13.4 | Romney+18.4 | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 8th | Matt Cartwright |
Yes | Democrats+9.3 | Trump+9.6 | Obama+11.9 | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania's 17th | Conor Lamb |
Yes | Democrats+12.5 | Trump+2.6 | Romney+4.5 | ||||||||
| South Carolina's 1st | Joe Cunningham |
Yes | Democrats+1.4 | Trump+13.1 | Romney+18.1 | ||||||||
| Utah's 4th | Ben McAdams |
Yes | Democrats+0.3 | Trump+6.7 | Romney+37.0 | ||||||||
| Virginia's 2nd | Elaine Luria |
Yes | Democrats+2.2 | Trump+3.4 | Romney+2.3 | ||||||||
| Virginia's 7th | Abigail Spanberger |
Yes | Democrats+1.9 | Trump+6.5 | Romney+10.5 | ||||||||
| Wisconsin's 3rd | Ron Kind |
Yes | Democrats+19.3 | Trump+4.5 | Obama+11 | ||||||||
| Source: Sabato's Crystal Ball and Daily Kos | |||||||||||||
Click here to see the five U.S. House districts represented by a Republican in 2020 and won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Candidate ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for 17th Congressional District candidates in Illinois in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.
| Filing requirements, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Illinois | 17th Congressional District | Democratic | 833 | 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district | N/A | N/A | 12/2/2019 | Source |
| Illinois | 17th Congressional District | Republican | 698 | 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district | N/A | N/A | 12/2/2019 | Source |
| Illinois | 17th Congressional District | Unaffiliated | Pending | 10% of original requirement (by court order) | N/A | N/A | 7/20/2020 | Source |
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Incumbent Cheri Bustos defeated Bill Fawell in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cheri Bustos (D) | 62.1 | 142,659 |
| Bill Fawell (R) | 37.9 | 87,090 | |
| Total votes: 229,749 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Incumbent Cheri Bustos advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cheri Bustos | 100.0 | 42,964 |
| Total votes: 42,964 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17
Bill Fawell advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 17 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Fawell | 100.0 | 38,411 |
| Total votes: 38,411 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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.[12][13]
| 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 | ||||
| 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 |
||||
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 | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
