Mike Bost
Mike Bost, a Republican who has represented Illinois's 12th congressional district since 2015 and chairs the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, seeks re-election in 2026 against Democrat Julie Fortier.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- December 30, 1960
- Birthplace
- Murphysboro, Illinois
- Education
- Murphysboro High School
University of Illinois (firefighter academy program)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Mike Bost was born on December 30, 1960, and was raised Baptist. After graduating from Murphysboro High School, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1979 to 1982. He later attended a firefighter academy program offered by the University of Illinois and became a firefighter. Bost ran his family's trucking business for ten years, and since 1989 he and his wife, Tracy, have owned and operated White House Salon in Murphysboro.
Career
Bost began in local office as a member of the Jackson County Board from 1984 to 1988, then served as treasurer of Murphysboro Township from 1989 to 1992 and as a township trustee from 1993 to 1995. Having lost his first legislative campaign in 1992, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in November 1994 and represented the 115th district from 1995 to 2015.
In 2014 Bost ran for Illinois's 12th congressional district and defeated the Democratic incumbent, William Enyart, with 53% of the vote to Enyart's 42%.
He was sworn in on January 6, 2015, and won each later election for the seat, including a 2024 primary in which he defeated former state senator Darren Bailey with 51.4% of the vote.
In the 119th Congress he chairs the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and also sits on the Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. He belongs to the Republican Governance Group, the Republican Main Street Partnership and the Republican Study Committee.
2026 race
Mike Bost is seeking re-election in Illinois's 12th district, a southern Illinois seat that takes in the southeastern St. Louis exurbs and includes Carbondale, Centralia, Marion and O'Fallon. He won 74.2% of the vote in 2024 and was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 81,400 votes. In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Julie Fortier, a research microbiologist and Air Force veteran who was also unopposed for the Democratic nomination.