William Swisher
William Swisher (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 17th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on March 17, 2020.
Swisher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2020
See also: Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2020
Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Democratic primary)
Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Republican primary)
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates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
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Swisher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swisher's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Increasing Minimum Wage to $15, Forgiving Student Debt, Medicare For All
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I have a deep passion in health care and human rights. My mother ran various Hospices during her career and I volunteered for various AIDS benefits and events as well as volunteering helping out Hospice Care. Having liver cirrhosis and Hypopituitarism I have dealt with crippling Health issues my entire life but I want to use my experiences to help others. I've seen first hand how broken our Healthcare system is.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I deeply admire Martin Luther King Jr, JFK, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and hope to live up to their examples if elected.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I feel the Netflix Original "Knock Down The House" fits many of the reasons why I am choosing to run.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty and Ethics if you cannot trust either then you cannot trust the person representing you.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I am the true definition of a "commoner" I'm not a career politician and I'm fighting for the people because I care about ending the peoples suffering. I have lost confidence in Cheri Bustos to do that for the people of Illinois.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Being accountable to the people who send you to Washington. Elected officials are elected by the people not special interests and PAC's.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave a legacy of helping pass Medicare for All, getting minimum wage up to $15/hr and then tying it to inflation so that people continue to get paid a fair amount. We've had a broken system for Health Care for over 20 years and the minimum wage hasn't changed in 10 years. It's time for real change in Washington.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The one most influential in my life that made a great impact was the falling of the Berlin wall. I remember watching from home with tears in my eyes knowing that it was a glorious day for unity.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My very first job was a summer job I worked at Rally/Checker burgers for the summer and I enjoyed the whole $5.15/hr I worked the register and really enjoyed the job.
What happened on your most awkward date?
Well I wouldn't call it a date but I'll share the story of how I fell back in love with my wife. We dated in High School then both went separate ways for almost 20 years until we reconnected on Facebook. When I was going through a medical procedure called TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt) she flew all the way out from Washington State to me when I was in San Diego, CA. The moment she walked through the door I knew I was still in love with her and we bonded and we reconnected during my hospital stay while Doctors and Nurses got to watch us first hand be in love with each other. She's been with me ever since and we're still very much in love.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
I love Valentines Day if for no other reason then I get to do something special and over-the-top for my wife she is the light of my life and I love when I can go out of my way to show her exactly how much she means to me.
What is your favorite book? Why?
A Fault In Our Stars is a great book. I relate a lot with the main character in the book and think it's just a terrific read.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Probably Bugs Bunny cause he's a smart aleck just like myself.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
It's a personal gift my wife made me over 20 years ago in a wood working class it's a beautiful heart with the words "QWERTY" carved into it which has a special meaning to both my wife and i.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Uprising by Muse
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
My health has always been a struggle but I've been battling my health problems for 41 years now and I've been winning. As a child I had seizures and would end up in the hospital anytime somebody in the next room coughed. I still have liver issues I'm battling but thankfully the rest of my issues are under control now.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Bipartisan commissions. Don't let party politics determine districts.
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
They hold all the purse strings and control the money. It's where you can make real substantial changes because of it.
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
Beneficial but not necessary, previous experience is no guarantee to success neither is lack of experience a guarantee for failure.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
Over the next decade we will have many battles we need to fight on the home front before we worry about International battles such as Medicare For All, Fight For $15 and other battles to improve peoples standard and quality of living.
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Education and Labor and HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) committees appeal most to me.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
As Congresspersons are representatives of the people I do believe 2 years is an adequate term so that the people can decide if their congress-member is still representing their values in Washington.
What are your thoughts on term limits?
Term limits for Senators and the President should be enacted or they should be shortened to 4 year terms but as Congress is every 2 years I believe the people can and will make the right decisions.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
I have no interest in being a leader inside the Democratic party.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pramila Jayapal and Marc Pocan are all Congressmen I admire.
Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I've heard countless stories of people who've lost loved ones due to not having health care and the Hospitals refusing to run certain tests because they were too costly. I don't believe the richest country in the world should have such poor Health Care.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
