Hon. Cheri Bustos
PartnerFormer Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is a Partner at Mercury, working across our Washington D.C. office while also leading our firm’s operations in Illinois.
Represented Illinois’ 17th Congressional District for the past 10 years
Served as Co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee in House leadership
Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, playing a key role in Democrats taking the majority
Chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign (DCCC), holding the majority in 2020
Served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Chaired the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
Served on the Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Energy and Water; and Military Construction and Veterans Administration subcommittees on the House Appropriations Committee
Founder of Build the Bench and a Founding Board Member of Elect Democratic Women
Received her B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in College Park, and her M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield
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see expertsFormer Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is a Partner at Mercury, working across our Washington D.C. office while also leading our firm’s operations in Illinois. As a former senior member of House leadership with a long career in both the public and private sectors, Bustos brings 20+ years of experience in politics, journalism, healthcare and communications.
While representing Illinois’ 17th Congressional District for the past 10 years, Bustos held powerful roles in leadership, serving as Co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee during her past term in Congress; Co-Chairing the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, playing a key role in Democrats taking the majority; and chairing the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee.
Bustos served on the House Committee on Agriculture for her full tenure in office; six years on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; and four years on the House Appropriations Committee. While on the House Appropriations Committee, she served on some of the most powerful subcommittees: Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Energy and Water; and Military Construction and Veterans Administration.
Outside of her public service work, Bustos has helped advance the next generation of Democratic leaders, protecting the Democratic House majority in the 2020 election cycle as Chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). In that role, she helped raise a record-breaking one-third of a billion dollars for the organization.
Additionally, Bustos is the founder of Build the Bench, a program focused on identifying and training individuals interested in running for office at all levels. She is also a Founding Board Member of Elect Democratic Women, which raised close to $10 million in the 2022 Election cycle.
Bustos is a Spring 2023 Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in College Park, and a Master’s in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.