Cheri Bustos, who represents Illinois District 17 in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been called the “future” of the Democratic Party.

PINELLAS COUNTY – U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos will be the keynote speaker at Saturday’s (March 24) Prelude to Victory Gala hosted by the Pinellas County Democratic Party.

Also expected at the event are U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, other elected Pinellas Democrats and several candidates for statewide office.

The gala is 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Kapok Special Events Center, 923 N McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater.

Bustos has been called “the future of the party.” She won her third Congressional term in 2016 with a 20-point landslide in a district President Donald Trump won, but a fifth of those Trump voters also voted for her. White, male voters largely supported her in Illinois’ rural and working class 17th district.

Bustos credited much of her success to face-to-face politicking. She worked alongside industrial workers in regularly scheduled “Cheri on Shift” sessions, and held “Supermarket Saturdays.” A former journalist, she is known for asking lots of questions, and she listens. She had also worked in health care, and strongly advocates for access to affordable care, as well as jobs, strengthening the economy, and growing the middle class.

“We have been the party of working-class men and women for the entire history of our party. But we’ve got to go where people are. And we’ve got to listen,” Bustos has said.

Bustos is co-chair of the “Red to Blue” initiative, and is co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. She serves on the House Agricultural and House Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

For tickets, go to eventbrite.com.

For information about the Pinellas County Democratic Party, go to pinellasdemocrats.org.

Cheri Bustos | Charlie Crist | Pinellas Democratic Party | Democrats | Politics | Tampabay News

#CheriBustos #CharlieCrist #PinellasDemocraticParty #Democrats #Politics #TampabayNews