Pelosi’s Majority Crumbles: Democrat Cheri Bustos Announces Retirement

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairwoman, and a top lieutenant of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), announced Friday she will not be seeking reelection.

Bustos said “following a decade of service,” she “will not seek reelection after completing this term.”

This is a major blow for Pelosi and House Democrats with their already slim majority crumbling. Bustos is the latest Democrat to announce she will not run for reelection.

Former President Donald Trump previously won Bustos’ district in both of his elections in 2016 and 2020. The retiring Congresswoman was able to hold her seat. Illinois lost a congressional seat after the Census, and the Democrat supermajority controls redistricting for the 2022 election.

With midterms approaching, Democrats are quickly losing seats and momentum to members retiring, looking to escape the possible loss of a majority or seeking higher office. With this latest blow, the Congressional Republicans may be inching closer to take back the House.

The Republican’s campaign arm, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), created an “Exit List” last month, which was comprised of vulnerable Democrats the Republicans are looking to pick off in the midterm.

Bustos was originally on the list.

So far, countless members on the list have taken major heat from the Republicans looking to reclaim the majority. Mike Berg, an NRCC Spokesman, said, “Cheri Bustos made the right decision to retire rather than face defeat in 2022.”

The NRCC April battleground survey released this week shows Republicans are projected to regain the House majority in midterm elections. The survey also found vulnerable Democrats have an uphill battle defending their seats after voting for “Pelosi’s socialist agenda.” The survey also found Pelosi to be the most unpopular politician in the country, with 56 percent unfavorable.