Mike Bost

Bost ran for and won re-election in 2018. In the Republican primary, he defeated challenger Preston Nelson with 83.5% of the vote. In the general election, Bost defeated Democratic nominee Brendan Kelly. Bost received 51.8% of the vote to Kelly's 45.2%, with Green Party candidate Randy Auxier taking 3%.

In July 2018, two interns for Bost claimed to have been refused service by an Uber driver in Washington D.C. "because [they] had red “Make America Great Again” hats."

After James Hodgkinson shot at GOP congressmen who were playing baseball in Virginia on June 14, 2017, injuring Steve Scalise, Bost said that his office has previously received phone calls from the attacker. "He's contacted us just about 10 times, on every issue," Bost said. "(He) was argumentative, but never threatening."

At a March 2017 meeting with editors of the Southern Illinoisan, Bost said that he did not do "town halls" because they had become too combative. "You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you'd put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them? That's not what we need. We need to have meetings with people that are productive." His use of the word "Orientals" made national headlines. Bost apologized, saying he had "used a poor choice of words." His spokesman said that Bost had been referring to public humiliation sessions during China's Cultural Revolution.

At a March 2017 "telephone town hall," Bost spoke about health care with several constituents who criticized Obamacare. Bost expressed support for the new American Health Care Act, saying, "doing nothing is not an option." He promised the new bill did not portend a return to pre-Obama health care. "It's not intended to go back to what it was prior to the Affordable Care Act," Bost said. "We have to move forward because the system is collapsing." He also praised "plans to strip money from Planned Parenthood and shift it to local health departments that help with women's needs."

On May 4, 2017, Bost voted in favor of the American Health Care Act of 2017.

Bost voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Bost believes the bill will enable businesses to compete globally and therefore will improve the economy. The individual tax cuts expire in 2022. Bost wants to make them permanent.

In December 2017, Bost signed a letter requesting that two education-related portions of the Internal Revenue code, one providing tuition breaks and the other incentivizing employees "to accept tax-free educational assistance from employers," be left unchanged in the new tax bill. The letter pointed out that seven out of ten college students graduate with student loan debt, which "harms our economy because it prevents many young adults from buying a house, purchasing a car or saving for retirement."

Bost ran for reelection in 2016. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, and faced Democrat C.J. Baricevic and Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw in the general election. Bost won the general election on November 8 with 54% of the vote.

In April 2016, a Bost bill to change how the government defines farms and ranches as small businesses passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support.

After the 2014 elections, Bost resigned early from the House so he could take office in Congress. He was succeeded by Terri Bryant.

In 2014 Bost ran for U.S. Congress in Illinois's 12th congressional district. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, and faced incumbent Democratic Representative William Enyart in the general election.

In November 2014, Bost described President Obama, his former colleague in the Illinois legislature, as a "fluke" and said that "nobody ever thought he was going to rise." He recalled a time when Obama, speaking to a group of reporters as Bost walked by, had said to them: "There you have it, one of the rich Republicans." Bost purportedly responded, "that just proves you don't know me at all." He said that was his last exchange with Obama.

In November 2013, Bost presented fellow U.S. Marine Archibald Mosley with Illinois House Resolution 706 for his lifetime accomplishments, including being among the first African-Americans to serve in the U.S. Marines. The presentation was part of a NAACP program.

In May 2012, members of the Illinois House were given just 20 minutes to review and vote on a 200-page pension overhaul bill that had been revised at the last minute. Displeased with the situation, Bost exploded on the House floor, saying "These damn bills that come out of here all the damn time...at the last second and I've got to try figure out how to vote for my people!...[e]nough! I feel like somebody trying to be released from Egypt! Let my people go!" An opponent ran ads focusing on Bost's anger, but many voters, according to NPR, "see his fury as well-placed." Bost's rant earned him the runner-up spot on CNN's list of "Best Celebrity Flip-Outs of All-Time". Bost joked about his inclusion on the list, saying "I thought I was going to be No. 1." He later said he had been "angry at how legislators pushed a bill through and how Governor Pat Quinn was running Illinois."

Illinois's largely agricultural 12th district was historically Democratic-leaning, but had been trending Republican, with President Obama having carried it by only 2 percentage points in his 2012 bid. Enyart was considered vulnerable due to being a freshman member in a competitive seat. Additionally, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, who was running for reelection in 2014, was unpopular in the district. The Cook Political Report rated the race a "Toss Up" and the National Journal ranked the district the 21st most likely to flip Republican in 2014.

Bost was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in November 1994, having lost his first campaign in 1992. In his 1994 campaign against incumbent Gerald Hawkins, he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.

Bost ran his family's Murphysboro-based trucking business for ten years. Since 1989, Bost and his wife Tracy have owned and operated White House Beauty Salon in Murphysboro.

Bost was a member of the Jackson County Board from 1984–88, the treasurer of Murphysboro Township from 1989–92, and trustee of Murphysboro Township from 1993–95, until his election to the Illinois House of Representatives.

Bost was raised Baptist and graduated from Murphysboro High School. He attended the University of Illinois Certified Firefighter II Academy, later becoming a firefighter. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1979–82.

Michael Joseph Bost (/ˈ b ɔː s t / ; born December 30, 1960) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district since 2015. From 1995 to 2015, Bost was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 115th district. Prior to winning elective office, Bost was a firefighter.