Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: Cook Partisan Voting Index: R+48
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: public transit utilization: 0.3%
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: unemployment rate: 4.6%
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: median rent: $835
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: median home value: $151,200
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: U.S. citizenship rate: 98.9%
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: foreign-born population: 1.99% (14,800 people)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: White (Non-Hispanic) population share: 88% (651,000 people)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: median age: 41.6
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: bachelor's degree or higher: 24.4%
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: homeownership rate: 75.0%
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: poverty rate: 8.8% (ACS) / 13.1% (Data USA 2024)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: median household income: $68,540
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Demographic anchor: population: 746,831 (2024 Data USA)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Ballot measure: Illinois Amendment 1 — Right to Collective Bargaining (2022) (2022) — passed, margin 58.6% Yes — 41.4% No
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 31-33 (share 0.11)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 44-45 (share 0.12)
Added: 03 May 2026
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[constituency_baseline] Dominant industry: NAICS 62 (share 0.15)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Knight Hawk Coal / Foresight Energy (coal mining operations) (1200 employees)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) / Memorial Hospital of Carbondale (3500 employees)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) (4000 employees)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] Top employer: Scott Air Force Base (U.S. Air Force / U.S. Transportation Command) (13000 employees)
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[constituency_baseline] District summary: Illinois's 12th Congressional District encompasses the entire southern tip of the state — stretching from the St. Louis suburbs in the Metro East across the Shawnee National Forest to the Ohio River. The district includes all of Alexander, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Monroe, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Union, and Williamson counties, plus portions of Madison County. Home to approximately 746,831 constituents, it is overwhelmingly rural, agricultural, and white — 88% White (Non-Hispanic), with small Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%) populations. The median household income is $68,540 — nearly double the $37,585 national median — but 13.1% of residents live in poverty (above the 12.4% national average). Homeownership is 75%, well above the 65.5% national average, and median home value is just $151,200 (far below the national $303,400). Only 24.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — significantly below the 33.7% national average — and 8.2% lack a high school diploma. The district is 98.9% U.S. citizen with only 1.99% foreign-born (14,800 people). The median age is 41.6, older than the 38.5 national average. Major industries include agriculture (corn, soybeans, hogs), coal mining, defense (Scott Air Force Base — the district's largest employer with 13,000+ personnel), healthcare, and higher education (Southern Illinois University Carbondale). The district has a Cook PVI of R+48, making it the most Republican district in Illinois and among the most conservative in the country. Bost has held the seat since 2015 after defeating one-term Democratic incumbent Bill Enyart. He survived a competitive 2024 primary challenge from former state Sen. Darren Bailey (R+), winning the nomination for a sixth term. He won the 2024 general election with approximately 74% of the vote.
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.Res. 189 (Censuring Representative Al Green of Texas (March 2025)) on 2025-03-06: Bost voted yea with all Republicans and 10 Democrats to censure Rep. Al Green for disrupting Trump's address to Congress. All 198 Democratic 'nays' were from the opposition. Bost's yea was party-line. The vote had no distinct constituency dimension but reflects his binary party-line voting pattern on high-profile disciplinary measures.
Date: 2025-03-06
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.R. 22 (SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, 2024)) on 2024-09-18: Bost voted yea on requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and voted against a short-term spending bill that stripped the SAVE Act provisions. He said he 'will not support any spending bill that does not secure our elections.' Heritage Action supported this bill. Bost also challenged Illinois' mail-in ballot law at the Supreme Court in October 2025, arguing the 14-day post-election counting period violated the Constitution — even though he himself won his election. The Court heard arguments but had not yet ruled as of mid-2026. His sustained effort to restrict voting access through both legislative and judicial means reflects his alignment with the national GOP's 'election integrity' movement.
Date: 2024-09-18
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted nay on H.Con.Res. 35 (Iran War Powers Resolution (March 2026)) on 2026-03-05: Bost voted nay on a bipartisan resolution to terminate unauthorized U.S. military operations in Iran, joining 218 other Republicans in defeating it 219-212. The resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). Bost also voted nay on the April 2026 follow-up resolution. As a Marine Corps veteran representing a district heavily dependent on Scott AFB, his vote aligned with Trump's war-making authority — consistent with his broader support for executive-branch military discretion and his partisan alignment with the administration.
Date: 2026-03-05
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.R. 9745 (Government Funding Continuing Resolution — November 2025 Shutdown Deal) on 2025-11-12: Bost voted yea to end the 43-day government shutdown, calling it the 'Democrat Shutdown' in his press release. As Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman, he framed his vote around restoring veterans' services and SNAP funding. The CR included full-year funding for the VA, Department of Agriculture, and military construction. Bost's yes vote — joining the governing wing after having opposed the 2023 debt ceiling deal — illustrates his pragmatic willingness to support stopgap funding when key committee priorities (veterans, agriculture) are protected. The bill passed the House on a near party-line vote after eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to end the shutdown.
Date: 2025-11-12
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.R. 29 (Laken Riley Act (119th Congress, January 2025)) on 2025-01-07: Bost voted yea on mandatory ICE detention for undocumented immigrants accused of nonviolent crimes. His IL-12 district is 98.9% U.S. citizen and only 1.99% foreign-born (14,800 people) — making this a politically safe hardline immigration vote with negligible local impact. All 217 House Republicans present voted yea. The vote was the first major immigration bill of Trump's second term, passing 263-156 with 46 Democratic defections. Bost's vote was purely party-line with no distinct constituency dimension.
Date: 2025-01-07
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted nay on H.R. 3746 (Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Debt Ceiling)) on 2023-05-31: Bost joined 71 conservative Republicans who voted against the bipartisan Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal — placing him in the Freedom Caucus flank rather than the governing wing. The bill passed 314-117 with about two-thirds of the GOP conference voting yea. This conservative opposition to restraining spending contrasts sharply with his 2025 OBBBA vote, which supported deficit-expanding tax cuts and spending without offsets. The reversal from fiscal hardliner on the debt ceiling deal to fiscal accommodator on the OBBBA is the most significant policy reversal in his voting record.
Date: 2023-05-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.J.Res. 11 (Objection to Electoral College Certification — January 6, 2021) on 2021-01-06: Bost was one of 121 House Republicans who voted to sustain objections to Arizona and Pennsylvania's certified electoral college results, hours after the U.S. Capitol was breached by insurrectionists. He had signed a statement on January 6 with 36 other GOP House members vowing to 'object to slates' of electors. The Illinois Education Association and IPACE pulled their endorsement of Bost following his vote. Approximately 50 protesters demonstrated at his O'Fallon office calling for his resignation. This vote represents the most significant constitutional test of his career — choosing loyalty to Trump over certification of a democratic election. Bost's district voted approximately 70% for Trump, making the vote popular with his base but deeply controversial with institutional stakeholders.
Date: 2021-01-06
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.R. 8034 (Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 ($26 billion)) on 2024-04-20: Bost voted yea on $26.38 billion in military aid to Israel. His top PAC donor is AIPAC at $56,270 (2023-2024 cycle), and AIPAC routed $58,684 in payments through his campaign committee. Bost also joined a bipartisan coalition of 104 House members urging President Biden to explain delays in weapons delivery to Israel. The vote illustrates his consistent pro-Israel alignment, funded by one of his largest donor groups — in notable contrast to his isolationist posture on Ukraine, where he opposes defensive military aid to another democracy under attack.
Date: 2024-04-20
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted nay on H.R. 8035 (Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 ($61 billion)) on 2024-04-20: Bost voted nay on the $61 billion Ukraine aid package — the most consequential foreign policy vote of the 118th Congress. Republicans for Ukraine gives him an 'F' grade (Very Poor), noting he voted against every major Ukraine aid bill since 2023. His statement that 'the needs of the American people must come first' reflects the MAGA isolationist posture that has become the GOP majority position. The House passed the bill 311-112 with a majority of Republicans voting nay. This vote, combined with his earlier votes against the Lend-Lease Act extension and the FY2024 Ukraine security assistance, demonstrates a consistent and durable opposition to U.S. support for Ukraine's defense.
Date: 2024-04-20
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Voted yea on H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — House final passage, July 2025) on 2025-07-03: Bost voted yea on legislation the CBO projected would add $3.4 trillion to deficits and cut approximately $1 trillion from Medicaid and SNAP. His IL-12 district has 8.8-13.1% poverty, median household income of $68,540, and 24.4% bachelor's degree attainment — with thousands of residents dependent on Medicaid and SNAP in one of Illinois's most economically challenged rural districts. Only 2 Republicans voted nay, and Bost's vote aligned with the party's Trump-aligned fiscal posture rather than his own career-long fiscal-conservative rhetoric. The AFL-CIO, which gave him a 1% score for 2025, opposed the bill. The SBA Pro-Life America scorecard praised Bost for 'delivering the largest pro-life legislative victory in two decades by defunding Big Abortion businesses' through H.R. 1.
Date: 2025-07-03
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[disclosure] After the Capitol riot, Bost suggested his own vote contributed to the violence. Roughly 50 protesters demonstrated outside his O'Fallon office calling for his resignation, claiming he had 'failed to uphold his oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution.' The Illinois Education Association and IPACE officially pulled their endorsement of Bost following his January 6 vote — a significant rebuke from the state's largest teachers' union.
Date: 2021-01-17
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[vote] Ahead of January 6, 2021, Bost released a statement saying 'At a time of great uncertainty for our country, it is vitally important that the American people have faith in our elections and trust the results.' He then voted to object to the Electoral College certification for Arizona and Pennsylvania — two states won by President Biden. He was one of 121 House Republicans who voted to overturn certified election results.
Date: 2021-01-06
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[statement] In September 2023, Bost voted to cut security assistance to Ukraine in the FY2024 Defense Appropriations bill, stating 'The needs of the American people must come first.' Republicans for Ukraine gives Bost an 'F' grade (Very Poor), noting he voted against H.R. 5692, H.R. 2882, and H.R. 8035 — all Ukraine aid packages. He also voted in favor of Amendment 25 to H.R. 2670, which would have removed lend-lease authority for Ukraine.
Date: 2023-09-28
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[vote] Bost voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (debt ceiling deal), joining 71 conservative House Republicans who opposed the Biden-McCarthy compromise. He positioned himself against the governing-wing, institutionalist Republicans.
Date: 2023-05-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[vote] Bost voted yea on the OBBBA (H.R. 1) on both May 22 and July 3, 2025. The CBO projected the bill would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt over ten years and cut approximately $1 trillion from Medicaid and SNAP. The AFL-CIO, which gave Bost a 1% score for 2025, opposed the bill. Only 2 House Republicans voted nay.
Date: 2025-07-03
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
[platform] Bost has campaigned for years as a fiscal conservative, opposing 'Biden-Pelosi socialist tax and spending plan.' He was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus and built his political brand around cutting government spending and reducing the national debt. As a state legislator, he was known for his fiery floor speeches against government overreach.
Date: 2015-2024
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Bost serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (118th and 119th Congresses) and sits on the House Agriculture Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He also chairs the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. Scott Air Force Base — the district's largest employer — anchors his veteran constituency, and he has championed NDAA provisions securing VA funding, TAP program reforms, and toxic exposure benefits.
Date: 2025-01-03
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Bost served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1979-1982) as an electronics specialist and radar repairman. He ran his family's Murphysboro-based trucking business for ten years and co-owns White House Beauty Salon in Murphysboro with his wife Tracy. He was a Murphysboro firefighter and served on the Jackson County Board before being elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (1995-2015). He earned an Associate degree from the University of Illinois and a B.S. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Date: 1979-2025
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
OpenSecrets estimated Bost's net worth at $229,004 in 2016 (232nd in the House). His 2018 financial disclosure ranged from -$37,990 to $565,998, ranking 263rd. Quiver Quantitative shows minimal publicly traded stock holdings and zero individual stock trades in the STOCK Act database. Bost is among the least wealthy members of Congress, with his wealth tied to his family's small businesses rather than investments.
Date: 2018-12-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Top 2024 PAC spenders via Mike Bost for Congress committee: WinRed ($130,129 in 2,751 payments), American Israel Public Affairs Cmte ($58,684 in 85 payments), Bost Victory Fund ($36,527), Scalise Leadership Fund 2024 ($29,617), Illinois Farm Bureau ($27,141).
Date: 2024-12-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
2024 cycle PAC donors at $10,000: Illinois Corn Growers Assn, Ameren Corp, American Crystal Sugar, American Optometric Assn, Caterpillar Inc, CME Group, Constellation Energy, Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Deere & Co, Eye of the Tiger PAC, Koch Inc, and numerous others — reflecting Bost's deep agricultural and energy-industry PAC support.
Date: 2024-12-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Top career contributor: Knight Hawk Coal at $96,100 (all individuals). Second: The Maschhoffs at $90,100 (all individuals). Third: Poettker Construction at $88,500 (all individuals). American Israel Public Affairs Cmte (AIPAC) is the top PAC contributor at $56,270 ($46,270 individuals, $10,000 PAC) for the 2023-2024 cycle. AIPAC also routed $58,684 through 85 payments via the Mike Bost for Congress committee in the 2024 cycle.
Date: 2024-12-31
Added: 03 May 2026
Pending Review
Career total raised (2013-2024): $13,148,626. Top contributing industry: Leadership PACs at $1,170,986, followed by Retired ($601,692), Securities & Investment ($546,389), Crop Production & Basic Processing ($505,502), and Health Professionals ($383,417).
Date: 2024-12-31
Added: 03 May 2026
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