Meet the Republicans running to flip US Rep. Cheri Bustos' seat red

A pair of Republicans are campaigning to flip the Congressional seat long held by U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos from blue to red.

But first voters must decide between the two Republicans during a June 28 primary election. 

We asked the candidates for information about their backgrounds and where they stand on key issues. Here is what they shared:

William “Charlie” Helmick Jr. 

Age: 58 

City of Residence: East Moline 

Education: Moline Sr. High, 1982; Eastern Florida State College, Criminal Justice Academy, 1993; Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glycol, Georgia, 2018. 

Work experience: United States Marine Corps. 1984;  Florida State Police officer, parole and probation; Federal Express Route Manager; Department of Homeland Security; Country Financial, office manager, 2020; Country Financial office and gift shop co-owner, present. 

Political experience: None 

Organizations and memberships: American Legion, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Marine League. 

Family: Married for 34 years with five children and seven grandchildren.

Toxic political polarization has permeated the nation's landscape. How will you work to heal the divide?

This is something that is not foreign to the United States. As a people we have had differing views on issues that have manifested in different ways both peaceful and violent. The growing desire among  the political classes to retain power is I believe cancerous. We are voting along party lines on issues without a care as to what the people that elected the officials to office think. As elected officials we need to actually represent the people, not the party! The only information the people have is presented via mainstream or on social media. Involvement I believe is an answer to this polarization issue, pure truth without editorials that taint one way or another. 

In 2020, a record 45,222 people died from gun injuries in the U.S. including suicide and murder, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. What, if anything, should be done to control guns? 

Gun control has been an on-going issue here in the United States. The Second Amendment is very clear as written that every legal citizen has a right to own a fire arm. I support the Constitution and have sworn to (uphold it) on more than one occasion. The issue isn’t the legal gun owners, but the criminal element. Every time there is an event, Congress is pressed to pass more laws that only affect legal and responsible gun owners. I believe the penalties for criminal activity with a firearm should be the most severe. Law enforcement need to be provided the tools thru training and technology to deal with and prevent gun violence before it happens. Being very careful not to infringe on the 2nd amendment. 

What policies would you support in Congress to grow the economy and fight inflation? 

It has been proven time and time again we cannot tax our way to prosperity. First gas and especially diesel fuel prices have to come down. Trucks make this nation run, everything you have has come by truck. Diesel should never cost more than $1 a gallon, even if we have to subsidize it. The cost of transporting is tied to what we have to pay at the store. People hoard money when times are tough and spend when it is affordable. Travel and vacations mean hotels, restaurants, theme parks, gifts and fuel revenues. We need to open pipelines, get the fuel prices under control, reduce regulations and red tape. Help farmers get the crops in and cheaper feed for livestock. Fix a tax rate and reduce the size of government.  We are trying to recover from a pandemic, make it easy for America to grow, stop the Biden restrictions. Secure our border and help Americans for a change. 

Esther Joy King

Age: 35

City of Residence: East Moline

Education: Bachelors from Oral Roberts University; juris doctor and masters in taxation from Northwestern University.

Work experience: King and Clark, attorney, 2019 to present; U.S. Army Reserve, JAG Officer, 2018 to present; Illinois Department of Commerce, Director of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology, 2015-2016; Kirkland and Ellis, associate, 2013-2015; Aide worker in Afghanistan, 2008.

Political experience: None

Organizations and memberships: Peoria Chamber of Commerce, McLean County Chamber of Commerce, NRA 

Family: My parents are Robert and Susan King; three brothers, one sister, and five nieces and nephews.

Toxic political polarization has permeated the nation's landscape. How will you work to heal the divide?  

My plan is to work with both sides in Congress to address the issues critical to this district. I also believe in having personal relationships with members on both sides of the aisle. When you understand where people are coming from, you can more easily find common ground on the most complex problems facing our nation. Congress is more divided than ever and I believe one reason has been the allowance, by Speaker Pelosi, of proxy voting, which allows members to essentially vote from home. Members of Congress need to show up not only because I think most of their constituents expect them to, but it also helps foster personal connections that can help bridge the divide.

In 2020, a record 45,222 people died from gun injuries in the U.S. including suicide and murder, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. What, if anything, should be done to control guns? 

We need to support our law enforcement and their ability to get illegal guns and criminals off the street. This means funding for our law enforcement, but also supporting prosecutors, judges and laws that ensure when the police do their jobs by arresting criminals, those criminals are actually prosecuted for the crimes they commit and not just released hours later. Securing our border and preventing guns, drugs and people from illegally entering our country is critical to the safety of our communities. We need a humane immigration system, not one that bankrolls the cartels. It is not safe for Americans and it’s incredibly dangerous for the men, women and children trying to come here. Additionally, mental health is incredibly important. As a society, we need to do a better job of making mental health a priority and getting people the help they need. The increase in teen suicides during the pandemic was incredibly concerning. I believe we need to thoroughly examine pandemic protocols to look at what was actually necessary and what did more harm that good.

What policies would you support in Congress to grow the economy and fight inflation? 

This is the top issue I hear about from voters on the campaign trail. The amount of government spending in the last two years exacerbated our economic situation, skyrocketing inflation. Instead of more unnecessary spending, I believe the government should get out of the way. I would propose blocking the President’s massive so-called “Build Back Better” bill.  And just as the increased cost in fuel is hurting families, it’s also causing the price of nearly every good and service to increase as well. We need to focus on lowering the cost of energy by making America energy independent. We need an all-of-the-above energy solution. We can look to oil, natural gas, coal, ethanol, nuclear, wind and solar to help power our nation, but we should not be reliant on dictators from across the globe for our energy supply. Not only does this instability drive up costs, but as a JAG Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, I see it as a major national security issue.  We need common sense regulations, but by-and-large, we need the government to get out of the way.

Jeff Kolkey: (815) 987-1374; jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey