CHERI BUSTOS

"January 6 brought out into the light, the division, the lies," Representative Adam Kinzinger said.

In the small Illinois city of Galesburg, people aren’t talking about the arguments consuming the nation’s capital.

There are signs of Democratic fatigue in Iowa, a state viewed for decades as a true political battleground.

WASHINGTON — With 18 months left before the midterms, a spate of Democratic departures from the House is threatening to erode the party’s slim majority in the House and imperil President Joe Biden’s far-reaching policy agenda. In the past two months, five House Democrats from competitive districts have announced they won’t seek reelection next year. They include Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida, who on Tuesday kicked off a campaign for governor, and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, who will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Rob Portman. Three other Democrats will leave seats vacant in districts likely to see significant change once they are redrawn using the data from the 2020 census, and several more are weighing bids for higher office. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times An early trickle of retirements by House members in competitive districts is often the first sign of a coming political wave. In the 2018 cycle, 48 House Republicans didn’t seek reelection — and Democrats won 14 of those vacancies. Now Republicans are salivating over the prospect of reversing that dynamic and erasing the Democrats’ six-seat advantage. “The two biggest headaches of any cycle are redistricting and retirements, and when you have both in one cycle it’s a migraine,” said former Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2012 and 2014. Democrats face other vexing challenges as well: Republican legislators control redistricting in key states where they can draw boundaries in their favor. Redistricting alone — with Republicans controlling mapmaking in three times as many districts as Democrats — could provide Republicans the seats they need to control the House. And historic political trends almost always work against the president’s party in midterm elections. The prospect of losing the House majority adds a greater level of urgency for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats eager to push through expansive policy proposals. It also raises questions about the staying power of Democrats, after an election in which they barely ousted an unpopular president while suffering a surprising number of down-ballot losses in races they expected to win. The results appeared to blunt the momentum the party generated in 2018 when it picked up 41 seats in the House. This could be just the beginning of the Democratic departures: The high season for congressional retirements typically comes in early fall after members spend the August recess taking the political temperature of their districts. Further complicating the picture for Democrats is the Census Bureau’s monthslong delay in completing the reapportionment process and delivering to states the final demographic and block-level population data. That has left the parties’ House committees in a state of suspended animation, unable in many instances to recruit candidates and devise electoral strategy. While each day brings announcements of new 2022 candidates, many are not being specific about which district they are running in. Dozens more are waiting until the fall, when they will see the new boundaries, to decide whether they will formalize their campaigns. “It’s like going to war on a battlefield but you don’t know where you’re fighting, when you’re fighting or who you’re fighting,” Israel said. The largest concentration of competitive and vacant House seats may be in Central Florida. In addition to Crist, who represents St. Petersburg, two other Democratic representatives, Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park and Val Demings of Orlando, are weighing runs for statewide office. All three now hold seats in districts Biden carried handily last November, but with Republicans in control of Florida’s redistricting process, the state’s congressional map is likely to soon be much better for Republicans than it is now. Each of the districts would be exceedingly expensive for a new candidate to run in because of the high cost of media in Florida, further stretching the party’s resources in what is expected to be a difficult election cycle. “You have to assume that because Republicans get to control reapportionment that it’s not going to get any easier,” said Adam Goodman, a Florida-based Republican media strategist, who predicted that the GOP would take two of the three seats now held by Crist, Demings and Murphy. “The Crist seat — it took a Charlie Crist type of person to hold that seat in ’20. The Democrats won’t have that person this time.” Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner who is weighing her own run for governor, echoed that assessment as she tweaked Crist at her own news conference, which competed for attention with his campaign launch. “It’s a time when we need his voice and his vote up in Washington, D.C.,” Fried said. “His seat is one that only probably Charlie Crist can hold on to, so really would like to have encouraged him to stay in Congress.” Democratic strategists said it was hardly unusual for members of Congress to seek a promotion to statewide office. “A lot of us lived through 2009 and 2010, and we’re not seeing that level of rush to the exits that we did then,” said Ian Russell, a former official with the House Democrats’ campaign arm. “It’s not surprising that members of Congress look to run statewide, that has been happening since the founding of the republic and doesn’t indicate a bigger thing.” Republicans, optimistic about being on offense for the first time since 2014, cited potential pickup opportunities in western Pennsylvania, where Rep. Conor Lamb is weighing a run for the state’s open Senate seat; New Hampshire, where Rep. Chris Pappas may run for governor rather than seek reelection in a district likely to become more Republican; and Iowa, where Rep. Cindy Axne told The Storm Lake Times last month that her first two options for 2022 were running for Senate or governor. “House Democrats are sprinting to the exits because they know their chances of retaining the majority grow dimmer by the day,” said Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, who last year entered an alcohol rehabilitation program after falling on the Washington Metro, also chose not to seek reelection. Rep. Cheri Bustos, whose district covering a swath of Central and Northwest Illinois swung to Donald Trump, announced her retirement last week. Last year Bustos led the House Democrats’ campaign arm through a disappointing cycle, when the party lost 13 seats after it expected to flip Republican-held districts. Along with Florida, Republicans are expected to draw themselves more favorable congressional districts in Georgia, where Democrats hold two competitive districts in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, and Texas, which will add two new seats for the 2022 elections. Ryan’s Democratic district in Northeast Ohio is likely to disappear when Ohio Republicans draw a map with one fewer House seat, and Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas, whose Rio Grande Valley district became 8 percentage points more Republican from 2016 to 2020, chose retirement rather than compete in what was likely to be his first competitive reelection bid. “This is where Democratic underperformance in 2020 really begins to hinder Democrats down ballot,” said Ken Spain, a veteran of the House Republicans’ campaign arm. “Republicans fared well at the state level last cycle, and now they’re going to reap the benefits of many of those red states drawing a disproportionate number of the seats.” Because Republicans hold majorities in more state legislatures, and Democrats and voters in key states such as California, Colorado and Virginia have delegated mapmaking authority to nonpartisan commissions, the redistricting process alone could shift up to five or six seats to Republicans. That is potentially enough to seize the majority if they don't flip any other Democratic-held seats. Democrats are expected to press their advantages where they can, particularly in Illinois and New York, states that lost one House district each in last week’s reapportionment. New York’s new map is certain to take a seat from Republicans in upstate New York, and one Republican-held seat in Central Illinois may be redrawn to be Democratic while another is eliminated. For the moment there are more House Republicans, six, not seeking reelection than the five House Democrats retiring or aiming for a promotion to statewide office. But of the Republicans, only Reps. Lee Zeldin and Tom Reed of New York represent districts that are plausibly competitive in 2022. With Democrats holding supermajority control of the New York state Legislature, Zeldin, who is running for governor, and Reed, who retired while apologizing for a past allegation of groping, could both see their districts drawn to become far more competitive for Democrats. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company

Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois says she will not seek reelection next year.

Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, one of the few congressional Democrats from rural America, said Friday that she will not seek reelection next year, stepping aside after playing a lead role in 2020 elections that unexpectedly saw her party nearly lose House control. Bustos, who was first elected to her largely rural district in 2012, became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2020 campaign after arguing that Democrats needed to do more to appeal to voters in the heartland who supported Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2016.

Illinois will be losing a congressional seat during redistricting.

Illinois’ representation in the U.S. House will drop from 18 members to 17 next year, U.S. Census Bureau officials said Monday in releasing the first official numbers from the 2020 count.

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos describes Capitol riots, "mini Trump rally" on flight home afterward Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos was on the House floor as a member of Democratic leadership last Wednesday when a mob of Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol. She joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss her experience, as well as what she saw on her flight home with protesters from D.C.

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos describes Capitol riots, "mini Trump rally" on flight home afterward Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos was on the House floor as a member of Democratic leadership last Wednesday when a mob of Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol. She joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss her experience, as well as what she saw on her flight home with protesters from D.C.

President Trump addresses assault on Capitol Hill in video message Through a pre-recorded message released on the official White House Twitter page Thursday night, President Trump condemned the violence that unfolded a day before, and said he was focusing on a smooth transition of power come January 20th. Democratic congresswoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois joined CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the president's latest message, as well as her experience being inside the Capitol as rioters stormed the building.

Trump addresses assault on Capitol Hill in video message Through a pre-recorded message released on the official White House Twitter page Thursday night, President Trump condemned the violence that unfolded a day before, and said he was focusing on a smooth transition of power come January 20. Democratic congresswoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the president's latest message, as well as her experience being inside the Capitol as rioters stormed the building.

The party's House majority will be as meager as 222-213 next year, the tightest partisan gap in two decades. Maloney worked on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign and joined the White House after Clinton's 1996 reelection. “Those of us in the LGBT community have seen the system work, and it has worked because we worked,” Maloney said. In 2018 he sought the House campaign committee chairmanship but withdrew when he was hospitalized for an infection. Farrell runs a consulting firm that he says was blacklisted by the campaign committee under Bustos after it helped candidates challenging Democratic incumbents.

Scott, 67, has been quarantining at home all week after coming into contact in Florida on Nov. 13 with someone who subsequently tested positive. Scott, a Republican, said he was “feeling good” despite the mild symptoms and would be working at his home in Naples. “I want to remind everyone to be careful and do the right things to protect yourselves and others,” Scott said in a statement. House members could be regularly tested in the Capitol starting this week, but there is still no testing protocol for senators. Ashley Hinson, 37, said she would participate in this week's House orientation virtually as she quarantined with her family in Iowa.

Against that backdrop, many House Democrats have for years impatiently insisted it's time for fresh leadership. To become speaker again, Pelosi will need more votes than House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who’s likely to garner nearly unanimous GOP support. Though she's likely to succeed, it won’t be simple because when Pelosi was elected speaker in January 2019, 15 Democrats opposed her. Pelosi came to Congress in 1987 and has led House Democrats, both as the minority and majority party, ever since 2003. Pelosi has won wide acclaim among Democrats as a leading Trump foe in battles over impeachment, immigration and health care.

By retaining the House, Democrats will control the chamber for four consecutive years for only the second time since 1995, when Republicans ended 40 years of Democratic dominance. As the bad news sunk in, Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who led House Democrats' campaign committee, announced Monday she wouldn't seek another term leading that organization. Republicans have been heartened by the House results, which many believe position them for a strong run for the majority in the 2022 elections. Illustrating that, the Blue Dog Coalition of the most conservative House Democrats, whose membership has dwindled in recent years, lost at least six of its roughly two dozen members. On the Republican side, the conservative House Freedom Caucus was hoping to grow from its roughly 30 members.

WASHINGTON – The chairwoman of House Democrats' campaign committee said Monday she won't seek the post again for the next Congress. Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos' decision comes after her party unexpectedly lost seats in last week's elections. Even before her announcement, several Democrats said privately that Bustos would have little support to retain her post, which is an elective position chosen by House Democrats. Her win came after an eleventh-hour $1 million in expenditures for her by the House Majority PAC, which was resented by some Democrats. House Democrats currently have a 232-197 advantage, plus one independent and five vacancies.

“They were all wrong," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters about Democrats' assumptions of adding to their House numbers. She declared that Democrats had won the House majority, which seemed highly likely but hadn’t been officially determined by The Associated Press. Democrats lost a majority Hispanic district in West Texas they expected to win after the GOP incumbent retired. In a district between Austin and San Antonio, freshman GOP Rep. Chip Roy withstood a challenge from Democrat Wendy Davis. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and the three other members of the so-called squad of young progressive women of color were easily reelected.

Though they seemed likely to retain House control, their performance was an unexpected disappointment for the party, which hoped for modest gains of perhaps 15 seats. Democrats control the House 232-197, with five open seats and one independent. By retaining House control, Democrats would mark only the second time in a quarter century that they've led the chamber for two consecutive two-year Congresses. She declared that Democrats had won the House majority, which seemed highly likely but hadn’t been officially declared by The Associated Press. “House Republicans have outperformed all expectations," said Dan Conston, who heads the Congressional Leadership Fund, a committee aligned with House GOP leaders that provides millions to Republican candidates.

In this Oct. 22, 2020, photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – Speaker Nancy Pelosi once predicted she’d have the House majority won by November — of 2019. Pelosi said she feels so confident Democrats will keep the House this election, she’s already preparing to win the next one in 2022. Pelosi rose as the face of party, the House impeached the president and emboldened Democrats are on the march to pick up House seats deep into Trump country. Pelosi notes experts have suggested Democrats will pick up between five and 15 House seats.

In the Republican-leaning California 48th Congressional District in Orange County, Republican challenger Michelle Steel has talked about taxes, while Rouda has focused on health care and prescription drug costs. The pattern is similar outside Philadelphia, where GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick accuses Democratic challenger Christina Finelo of supporting police defunding. Wagner has voted for bills that would have ended the coverage that former President Barack Obama’s health care law guarantees people with preexisting conditions. Freitas has said he thinks government intrusion into health care doesn't help. Democrats have run health care themed ads against Republicans in numerous states including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Texas.

Democrats boast an ever-expanding target list that includes a half-dozen Republican seats in Texas plus others outside Atlanta, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The tale of two districts 1,600 miles apart spotlights that many pivotal House races hinge on suburban voters. We're still on offense, said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who leads House Democrats' campaign organization. Since January 2019, all 29 Democrats in House districts Trump carried in 2016 have banked more money than their GOP challengers, usually by multiples. The same is true for all but two of the 24 other Democrats in seats Republicans said they'd pursue aggressively this year.

The health care law has been a flashpoint in American politics since its enactment a decade ago. Trying to take away health care in the middle of a pandemic is like throwing out the sandbags during a hurricane, said Jesse Ferguson, a longtime Democratic strategist. The pandemic has made clear for people how important it is to them that their neighbors have health care. And in March, it put $250,000 behind an ad attacking Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana on health care. She said the Democratic health care message would be, Democrats are the party of health care.

The health care law has been a flashpoint in American politics since its enactment a decade ago. Trying to take away health care in the middle of a pandemic is like throwing out the sandbags during a hurricane, said Jesse Ferguson, a longtime Democratic strategist. The pandemic has made clear for people how important it is to them that their neighbors have health care. And in March, it put $250,000 behind an ad attacking Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana on health care. She said the Democratic health care message would be, Democrats are the party of health care.

On Thursday, the Trump administration is expected to file papers with the Supreme Court arguing that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Trying to overturn a health insurance expansion providing coverage to about 20 million people was wrong any time, Pelosi said. It would financially squeeze some states that have refused to expand Medicaid under the health law. Democrats won control of the House in 2018 on their defense of the health care law. Republicans at all levels own this lawsuits attack on Americans health care, said the memo.

Citing its direct payments for immigrant workers in the U.S. illegally and other asinine provisions, the House Republican campaign arm all but promised attack ads. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll this month found 61% of suburban voters disapprove of Trump, little changed over three years. Garcia represents a nod toward diversity for the overwhelmingly white House GOP. Republicans have sought more female candidates, too, hoping to improve an embarrassing look: Just 13 of the 198 House Republicans are women, and two are retiring. All 53 remaining House Democrats in seats the GOP targeted last year, mostly from Trump-won districts and freshmen, have outraised their Republican challengers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The congresswoman who heads the campaign arm for U.S. House of Representatives Democrats has acknowledged mistakes after lawmakers complained about a lack of racial diversity within the organization, and she named a Cuban-American as interim executive director as part of a major staff shakeup. Politico reported last week that black and Hispanic lawmakers had complained that the DCCC was not recruiting or retaining non-white staffers in top positions. Allison Jaslow, an Iraq war veteran and long-time Bustos ally, resigned as DCCC executive director on Monday. In addition, several Republicans have announced in recent weeks that they are retiring from the House. Representative Linda Sanchez, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said she was confident Bustos was working to bring diverse, talented perspectives to the DCCC.