Bobby Schilling

Robert Todd Schilling (January 23, 1964 – April 6, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative for IL's 17th congressional district from 2011 to 2013.

Schilling was a member of the Republican Party.

Schilling worked at Container Corporation of America between 1983 and 1987 and was a union steward for the local chapter of the United Paper Workers International Union.

He then worked as an insurance agent for Prudential Insurance Company between 1987 and 1995, where he was ranked in the top 5% of all Prudential agents during his last year.

He was also the treasurer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union for four of those years.

In 1996, Schilling and his wife opened Saint Giuseppe's Heavenly Pizza in Moline, Illinois.

Schilling ran the restaurant until he became a member of Congress, when he left his son in charge.

Schilling's Democratic opponent, incumbent Phil Hare, criticized Schilling for living 0.99 miles outside the 17th District, though the Constitution only requires members of Congress to live within the state they wish to represent.

Schilling's wife noted that the family's restaurant was located in the district, and that it employed people and paid taxes there.

She asserted that gerrymandering had caused the family's home to fall outside district lines.

Schilling was endorsed by the Quincy Tea Party group; John Deere PAC; the United States Chamber of Commerce.

U.S. Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL); and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.

Newspapers were evenly divided in endorsing Schilling over Hare, with the Chicago Tribune and the Sauk Valley News among those supporting Schilling.

Schilling announced his candidacy in April 2009 and officially filed for the Republican nomination in October 2009.

Schilling was unopposed in the primary election.

Schilling vowed not to participate in the congressional pension program, to keep his private health insurance instead of the congressional plan, to donate any pay raises he received, to limit himself to no more than eight years in Congress, and not to vote for any bill he had not read.

"I'm not going to make a career out of this," he said.

Schilling's campaign set an off-year fundraising record for a challenger in the 17th district, amassing about $89,000 in 2009.

Schilling's campaign fundraising relied largely on individual donors, who accounted for about 80 percent of the $1 million raised by his campaign.

Schilling challenged incumbent Democrat Phil Hare in the 2010 election and defeated him by ten points.

According to public personal financial disclosures, Schilling's restaurant dropped in value in the early 2010s from a range of $100,000 to $250,000 down to between $50,000–$100,000.

Schilling's son and campaign manager Terry Schilling said, "The real estate market has really taken a hit in East Moline. It just goes to show that Bobby Schilling has a real stake in this economy."

Schilling grew up as a Democrat, but became more conservative over the years and characterized himself as a "Reagan Republican."

He was also influenced by radio and television personality Glenn Beck.

Schilling was one of the 9–12 Candidates, a group led by Beck, and signed the 9–12 contract of principles and values.

Schilling has said he was inspired to run for office because he was preparing to franchise his restaurant, but cancelled his plans when he saw then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama telling Joe the Plumber that the government needed to "spread the wealth around."

In September 2010, Schilling was named to the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program.

In October 2010, Schilling was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.

In the general election, Schilling won by an unexpectedly large margin, taking 53 percent of the vote to Hare's 43 percent.

Notably, he carried Hare's home county, Rock Island County—a normally heavily Democratic county that is home to the district's two largest cities, Moline and Rock Island—by nine points.

In the 2012 election, he was defeated by Democrat Cheri Bustos.

In 2014, he ran for his former seat but lost again to Bustos.

Early in Schilling's campaign, political websites rated the 17th District race "safe Democratic."

However, by Election Day the race was rated "leans Republican" by RealClearPolitics, Cook Political Report, CQ Politics, and The New York Times.

The race was profiled on CNN as one of the country's top 100 House races.

CNN reported, "Schilling trails in the overall money race, but he's raised enough to get his message out and give the incumbent something to worry about."

After relocating from Illinois to Iowa, he again ran for public office in 2020 for Iowa's 2nd congressional district.

He lost the Republican primary to state senator Mariannette Miller-Meeks; this was the last election he competed in prior to his death.

Schilling was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois.

He graduated from Alleman Catholic High School and attended Black Hawk College.