U.S. Rep Phil Hare is touting his push to bring new jobs to Illinois' 17th Congressional District. In an interview with the State Journal-Register, the Democrat said 6,000 positions are coming to the 17th over the next 18 months, including jobs generated by work on a "Chicago-to-Quad Cities Amtrak line, a pork producing plant in East Moline, the sale of the state-built Thomson prison to the federal government, and a Moline campus being built for Western Illinois University, for which he helped secure funding." Hare is in a tough re-election fight with GOP challenger Bobby Schilling.