A large union wants to make sure Illinois democrat Cheri Bustos is reelected next month. Today, a crowd of UAW local union members welcomed the President of the United Auto Workers to an early voting rally at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall in Rock Island. Dennis Williams and the 17th District Congresswoman stopped in the Quad Cities on their three-city trip.
Williams grew up in Rock Island and before the rally insisted on having a slice of Harris Pizza with union workers. He says Bustos should be elected again because she'll fight for a jobs bill and investing in infrastructure.
MarvellPorter, from East Moline, is a retired member of UAW Local 8-65. Over the last three weeks, he's been working the phones to ask residents to vote for Bustos and other democrats.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Bustos says she and her family have strong union roots in the Quad Cities. And this area boasts the most dense concentration of union membership in the country.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Bustos' campaign manager estimates 80 people attended the rally. When Bustos asked the well-fed crowd how many voted early today, around 20 raised their hands. She also says about 20,000 people in Illinois' 17th district have already voted absentee, and 67 percent are democrats.
She and Williams also stopped in Rockford and Springfield today.