Former U.S. representative announces bid for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District

Bobby Schilling, former U.S. Rep. from Illinois, joined the race in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District on Monday.

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MCT

Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL/17). (MCT)

Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor

Former U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling announced a bid for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District on July 8.

Schilling, a Republican who represented an Illinois district along the Mississippi River, will run against two Democrats who have launched their campaigns. Former Iowa state Sen. Rita Hart has been endorsed by current 2nd District Rep Dave Loebsack, who will retire after his term ends in January 2020.

Osceola Mayor Thomas Kedley was the first Republican to announce a bid for th 2nd District, but he dropped out in June.

Schilling was unseated in his Illinois district by current Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat, in 2012. He moved to Iowa in 2017, saying the Illinois government is pushing people out of the state with high taxes, according to a report from the Press-Citizen.

Schilling was elected to Congress in the 2010 midterm elections, in which he unseated incumbent Democrat Phil Hare.