By Kathy Groob, Publisher ElectWomen Magazine – When East Moline City Councilmember Cheri Bustos (D) decided to run for Illinois’ 17^th Congressional District, she didn’t have to look beyond her own family for a campaign platform. A strong believer in fair health care access, both Cheri and her husband lost siblings to cancer because of inadequate health care insurance.  “We need leadership committed to creating practical solutions that generate good jobs and a sustainable health system available to every American,” said Bustos in her campaign announcement speech.

Cheri Bustos is running against four men in the Democratic primary election that will be held in Illinois on March 20, 2012. The winner will challenge Republican incumbent Bobby Schilling.

Illinois’ 17^th District includes the cities of Peoria, Rockford and the Quad-Cities.  A 50-year-old working mother from East Moline, Cheri keeps in shape by going to the YMCA every morning at 5 a.m.  Cheri is a member of the Illinois Collegiate Hall of Fame and serves as an alderman on the East Moline City Council.

Through June 2011, Bustos was the Vice President of Public Relations and Communications at IHS, the nation’s sixth largest nondenominational health system with annual revenues of $2.3 billion and nearly 20,000 employees.  Bustos recently resigned the position to dedicate more time to run for Congress.  Prior to her appointment with IHS in January 2008, Bustos was the Senior Director of Corporate Communications for Trinity Regional Health System, Rock Island, Ill., serving in that role for more than six years.

Bustos began her career as a journalist for 17 years, reporting on crime, city and state government, health, investigations and other issues of importance.  Most of her reporting and editing career was spent at the mid-sized daily newspaper, the Quad-City Times in the Quad-Cities.  Bustos was honored over the years with many statewide journalism awards, and a national award, for her investigative reporting.  She led the Quad-City Times education coverage to “Best in the State” as judged by the state’s Newspaper Association.

Cheri Bustos believes regular hard-working people are needed now more than ever in Washington, D.C.  “We need people who are raising families on two incomes, who cut coupons and shop at the neighborhood grocery store and who have to balance their own checkbooks,” says Bustos.  “It is time for those prickly professional politicians to exit and for more people like us to enter and steer this country back on track.”

For more information or to contribute to Cheri Bustos, visit her website at http://www.cheribustos.com.