Marine Corps veteran Mike Bost, 65, has served the most Republican district in Illinois since 2015. Bost is much admired by his mostly rural constituents in the far southern part of the state and we endorsed him in the primary. His challenger is Democrat Julie Fortier, a 56-year-old cancer research scientist who is billing herself as a “fresh voice.”
Our sense of that district is that constituents are happy with the service they get from Bost and also his pragmatism and common sense. We’ve had (and still have) our differences with Bost, an old-school conservative, especially over the certification of the 2020 election, when he was on the wrong side of that issue. But we endorsed him in 2022.
Asked about the war in Iran, Bost praised what he described as Donald Trump’s “bold efforts to protect America’s national security interests and ensure that Iran never has the capability of developing a nuclear weapon.” We certainly agree with that. And, when it came to social security, he struck a bipartisan note: “It’s long past time that both parties came together and started working on solutions to preserve these treasured programs for our children and grandchildren.” Bost also said that “as the grandson of a coal miner and union representative, and a former union firefighter myself, I’ve worked with both parties to protect the rights of American workers.” There is evidence of that.
Fortier told us that the biggest issue in the district is affordability: “We need to ensure tariffs are removed on imported items, gas and electricity are affordable and most importantly that people are paid a living wage.” She said she supports term limits for the Supreme Court, universal healthcare, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the removal of the Social Security contributions cap and other progressive positions, all unlikely to fly in this district. Fortier certainly is a logical choice for progressives living in the 12th. But we think Bost is the best suited.
Mike Bost is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here.
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