Rock Island County Board member Angie Normoyle on Wednesday became the second Democrat to announce a bid for the Illinois 17th Congressional District seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos.
A Moline resident who was raised in Roscoe, Normoyle has worked part-time as a communications professor at Augustana College, her alma mater.
“One of my strongest points is listening to people and then asking questions to clarify what their concerns are,” Normoyle said to NPR affiliate WVIK. “And that will be very much my approach in this whole campaign, is getting out into all of the different communities in northwest Illinois and listening, asking a lot of questions, and seeing what peoples priorities are. What are they concerned about? What would they like to see happen in Washington?”
In April, Bustos announced she would not seek re-election in 2022 for a sixth term in Congress. Last week, Rockford alderman Jonathan Logemann declared his candidacy for the opening. The primary is set for June 28.
Republican Esther Joy King of East Moline announced her second bid for the seat earlier this year, shortly after Bustos said she would not seek a sixth term. King lost to Bustos last year in a race that was closer than many anticipated.
Normoyle was elected to the 25-member county board position last year; her term expires in November. She previously served on the Moline school board. On her campaign website, she says she’s running to help constituents realize the dream “that with hard work, you will have the opportunity to earn a good living, raise a family and retire with dignity — and you’ll be able to do it right here in northwest Illinois.”
On the newly-drawn proposed Illinois congressional map, the 17th District covers most of the city of Peoria, stretching east to add most of Bloomington-Normal. It also incorporates most of northwest Illinois, twisting from Galesburg through the Quad Cities up to Rockford.
