ALTON – One downstate Republican incumbent in a tight race to be re-elected is going against his party's typical right-to-work flow by reaching out to public and private sector union members for their support – and he's reeling them in one by one.
Over the past few weeks, second term Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12) has been sending out press release after press release with these headlines:
- "Carpenters' Union Endorses Mike Bost"
- "Firefighters Union Endorses Bost for Re-Election"
- "Transportation Trade Union Endorses Bost"
- "Infrastructure Union Endorses Bost"
- "United Mine Workers of America to Endorse Bost"
- "Coal Minters Union Endorses Bost"
- "Federal Correctional Workers Endorse Bost"
- and "Illinois Education Association Endorses Bost"
Every endorsement included raves from the union leaders, like the Illinois Education Association's Vice President Al Llorens, who said, "Mike Bost has never hesitated to be a strong voice for our schools and students in the Metro East and Southern Illinois. He supports empowering parents and teachers at the local level and worked in a bipartisan manner to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act.
"At a time when both parties seem to talk past each other instead of working together, we know we can count on Mike Bost to cut through the partisanship in Washington and put the needs of his district first," Llorens said. "Congressman Bost continues to be a strong ally for the IEA when it comes to protecting the collective bargaining rights that keep the middle class strong and he has earned our support."
And every press release included a comment of appreciation from Bost, who served in the Illinois House before being elected to the US Congress in 2014.
"I am proud to have the endorsement of the Illinois Education Association," said Bost. "As a father and a grandfather, there's no better investment we can make than in the future of our young people. But if we expect them to reach their full potential, we must first empower our teachers and education professionals, the dedicated men and women who help build a brighter future fromfirst period to the closing bell."
The 12th CD is one of several races that could determine whether the Republicans keep control of the US House and further President Trump's economic agenda.
Bost had a tough first race in 2014, a not so challenging race in 2016, but is in a tough one again this year. While landing endorsements, Bost is not as fortunate in raising campaign funds.
Earlier this week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported that Bost's 2016 challenger, Democrat Brendan Kelly had raised more than $1.1 million, twice as much as Mike Bost, who raised only $552k. Kelly's Q3 total is the most amount of money EVER raised by a candidate for Congress in IL-12, and he has now outraised the incumbent Bost in all five quarters he has been in the race. Kelly is also safely within the margin of error in polling, trailing Bost by 1 point in three straight polls.
