U.S. House, Illinois 12th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Illinois's 12th Congressional District?
Mike Bost has the strongest record in Illinois's 12th Congressional District. Mike Bost scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Julie Fortier at 59, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Bost's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Julie Fortier's highest marks are accountability and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Mike Bost
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 63
Democratic
Julie Fortier
59 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 58
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Mike Bost
- On the record2026-01-14
The Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 that he had standing to challenge Illinois counting mail ballots received up to two weeks after Election Day; in July 2026 he said he would drop the suit.
Sources: NPR, Jan. 14, 2026, The Guardian, Jan. 14, 2026, WSIU, July 8, 2026
- On the record2023-01-06
During the Jan. 6, 2023 speaker balloting, stood and shouted at Rep. Matt Gaetz on the House floor as Gaetz spoke against Kevin McCarthy; the clerk called the House to order.
Sources: Fox News, Jan. 6, 2023, Belleville News-Democrat via St. Louis Public Radio, Oct. 20, 2023, Business Insider via Yahoo News, Feb. 7, 2024
- On the record2023-05-09
PolitiFact rated Mostly False his April 26, 2023 House floor statement that the House Republican debt-ceiling bill was not cutting veterans.
Source: PolitiFact, May 9, 2023
- On the record2021-01
Signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief and voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, brief of 126 House members as amici
- On the record2017-03-02
Told the Southern Illinoisan that town halls resembled 'the cleansing that the Orientals used to do'; after criticism he said he used 'a poor choice of words' and regretted it.
Sources: NBC News, March 2017, Christian Science Monitor, March 4, 2017
- Credit2026-06-09
His Fiscal Year 2025 VA Major Medical Facility Authorization Act (H.R. 6710) was enacted through its Senate companion, signed June 9, 2026.
- Credit2025-2026
Chairs the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Daily Egyptian, Jan. 10, 2026
Julie Fortier
- Creditbefore 2026
Served in the U.S. Air Force, including Operation Desert Shield, and later earned a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Saint Louis University and worked in cancer research.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Mike Bost. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 12, 2026; no periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index for 2019 to 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076261, House Committee on Ethics site search for Bost, FEC administrative fines search
Julie Fortier. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 24, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082888, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Mike Bost. Voted against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act and the April 2024 Ukraine supplemental, both backed by GOP leaders, and voted for the ROTOR Act in 2026 when Speaker Johnson and Leader Scalise voted no.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, May 31, 2023 (Fiscal Responsibility Act), House Clerk Roll Call 151, April 20, 2024 (Ukraine supplemental), House Clerk Roll Call 72, 2026 (ROTOR Act)
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Mike Bost. No public record found.
Julie Fortier. Held a series of open town halls across the district in 2026, including Chester, Marshall and Salem, and answered questions at a May 2026 forum in Effingham.
Sources: WSIU, June 26, 2026, Effingham Daily News (via Yahoo News), May 5, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Mike Bost. Served in the Marine Corps, on the Jackson County Board, 20 years in the Illinois House and in Congress since 2015. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mike Bost, House Committee on Ethics site search for Bost
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Mike Bost. Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021, and signed the December 2020 House amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021 (objection to Arizona electoral votes), House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021 (objection to Pennsylvania electoral votes), Texas v. Pennsylvania, brief of 126 House members as amici, Dec. 2020
Julie Fortier. Served four years in the Air Force, including Operation Desert Shield, with no official finding of misuse of office.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Mike Bost. In the U.S. House since January 2015, now seeking a seventh term, after 20 years in the Illinois House (1995 to 2014), local office in Jackson County and Marine Corps service.
Sources: GovTrack, Mike Bost, Ballotpedia, Mike Bost
Julie Fortier. Cancer research scientist with a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Saint Louis University and four years of Air Force service. Has not held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Mike Bost. Chairs the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and sits on Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure; publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Julie Fortier. Publishes positions on health care, jobs, reproductive rights and veterans care in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Mike Bost. Offers an email newsletter, telephone town halls (about monthly, he told the Daily Egyptian) and issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Daily Egyptian, Jan. 10, 2026, Ballotpedia, Mike Bost
Julie Fortier. Publishes issue positions, holds town halls and took questions at a public forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, WSIU, June 26, 2026, Effingham Daily News (via Yahoo News), May 5, 2026, Ballotpedia, Julie Fortier
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Mike Bost. Born and raised in Murphysboro, where he still lives, and represented the area in the Illinois House for 20 years. About 64 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Illinois.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mike Bost, FEC contribution totals by state
Julie Fortier. Has lived in O'Fallon for more than 30 years. About 97 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Illinois.
Sources: Daily Egyptian, Jan. 10, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Mike Bost. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Julie Fortier. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Mike Bost. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.860 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.430, meets expectations. GovTrack counts 16 bills he sponsored as enacted, most recently a VA medical facility authorization signed June 9, 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 6710 (119th Congress)
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Mike Bost. Missed 219 of 6,404 roll call votes, 3.4 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Mike Bost. Runs district offices in Mascoutah, Murphysboro and Effingham plus four satellite offices, offers agency help, and holds telephone town halls about monthly. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page, Daily Egyptian, Jan. 10, 2026
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Mike Bost. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.09091 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 150 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Mike Bost. No public record found.
Julie Fortier. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Illinois's 12th Congressional District?
Mike Bost has the strongest record in Illinois's 12th Congressional District. Mike Bost scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Julie Fortier at 59, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Bost's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Julie Fortier's highest marks are accountability and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Illinois's 12th Congressional District in 2026?
Mike Bost (Republican, incumbent), Julie Fortier (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Mike Bost a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Bost scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Julie Fortier a good candidate for Congress?
Julie Fortier scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 58 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Illinois race scored, and the Illinois 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.