There'll be at least one republican opponent for democrat Cheri Bustos next year in Illinois' 17th Congressional District. This week, Galesburg businessman Mark Kleine announced his candidacy.
Kleine says he started in 1994 with one John Deere dealership and 10 employees. When he sold the business 20 years later, 150 people worked at 6 dealerships in western Illinois.
He also started a real estate development company focused on building homes and bringing businesses to the region, and a family foundation that supports health care, education, and other community needs.
"I've been an innovator and a job creator, and I continue to work every day to revitalize our community and our area. Running for Congress is a way for me to take that service and that leadership to the next level."
Kleine has not held any political office. And he believes his status as a political outsider, and his "independence from both parties is what we need to move America forward."
He plans a more formal announced tour of the 17th District next month.
