ROCKFORD (WREX) — Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara will not run for a congressional seat in 2022, according to a statement released by the City of Rockford on Monday.
"It was incredibly humbling and encouraging that so many individuals expressed confidence in me and the work we have done here in Rockford," McNamara said. "I firmly believe that my goal should always be to serve whatever office allows me to do the most good. And right now, that place is as the mayor of Rockford. After much discussion and reflection, I have decided that my heart is here. I want to remain your mayor and will not run for a Congressional seat in 2022."
McNamara confirmed in early July that he was considering running for the 17th District congressional seat currently held by Congresswoman Cheri Bustos.
"While I will not be campaigning to fill Congresswoman Bustos’s seat, that individual certainly has big shoes to fill," McNamara said.
Currently, only one other person has announced their candidacy, Esther Joy King.
King ran for Bustos's seat in November 2020. Bustos won the district by roughly 12,000 votes.
Bustos announced in April that she would not run for re-election. Congresswoman Bustos has been representing the 17th District, which overs most of western Illinois (including Rockford), since 2013. Prior to her election to the U.S. House, Bustos served on the city council in East Moline, Illinois.
Read McNamara's full statement here:
statement-from-mayor-mcnamara
