2012Final results
2012 election for Illinois's 17th District
U.S. House · Illinois
Cheri Bustos (D) won with 53.3% of the vote, defeating Robert T. Schilling (R) by 6.6 points.
Cheri BustosDemocrat · winner
53.3%153,519
Robert T. SchillingRepublican
46.7%134,623
288,161 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2012
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Cheri BustosRobert T. Schilling
$2.2M
Raised by the campaign
$2.6M
$2.2M
Spent by the campaign
$2.6M
$25.2K
Cash on hand
$39.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2012.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2012