Eric Sorensen (politician)
American politician (born 1976)
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Eric Sorensen (/ˈsɔːrənsən/ SOR-ən-sən; born March 18, 1976) is an American politician and meteorologist serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 17th congressional district since 2023. His district covers a large swath of western and central Illinois, centered around Moline, Rock Island, and the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. It also includes parts of Peoria and Rockford. A member of the Democratic Party, Sorensen is the first openly gay member of Congress from Illinois.[1]
Eric Sorensen | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 17th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Cheri Bustos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 18, 1976 Rockford, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Northern Illinois University (BS) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Early life and career
Sorensen was born in Rockford, Illinois.[2] He graduated from Boylan Catholic High School[3] and then studied communications and meteorology at Northern Illinois University.[4]
Sorensen began his career as a meteorologist at KTRE, the ABC affiliate in Lufkin, Texas, from 1999 to 2000 before moving to Tyler, Texas, where he was the morning meteorologist for East Texas News Daybreak, which aired on both KLTV and KTRE-TV. He worked as chief meteorologist for WREX, Rockford's NBC affiliate, from 2003 to 2014, before becoming the senior meteorologist for WQAD, the ABC affiliate of Moline, Illinois. Sorensen became a fellow of the Society for Environmental Journalists in 2018.[5]
Sorensen retired from television in 2021.[3][6] Afterwards, he took a job in communications for UnityPoint Health before announcing his run for Congress.[3]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
With Cheri Bustos not seeking re-election, Sorensen declared his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for Illinois's 17th congressional district in the 2022 elections on November 10, 2021, as a member of the Democratic Party.[6] He defeated Esther Joy King, the Republican nominee, in the November 8, 2022, general election.[7] Upon taking office in January 2023, Sorensen became only the second Democrat since 1927 to represent a significant portion of Peoria, and the second since the 1850s to represent a significant portion of Rockford.[citation needed]
2024
In the 2024 election, Sorensen defeated Republican nominee Joseph McGraw with 54.4% of the vote.[8]
Tenure
Sorensen was sworn into office on January 7, 2023, as the U.S. representative for Illinois’s 17th congressional district.[9] During the 118th Congress, he was appointed to the Agriculture and Science, Space, and Technology committees.[9] In May of his first year, Sorensen introduced the Stop Games Act, legislation aimed at lowering drug costs by allowing the FDA to reject fake citizen petitions used by pharmaceutical companies to delay approval of generic drugs.[10] In July, he secured the inclusion of $4.6 million for six Central Illinois infrastructure projects, ranging from flood mitigation to housing and water system upgrades, in two appropriations bills.[11] In October, he co-introduced the bipartisan Upper Mississippi River Levee Safety Act to give local levee districts more flexibility in managing flood protections along the Mississippi River.[12]
In March 2024, Sorensen secured $123 million for western Illinois infrastructure projects, including water main repairs, road improvements, and river navigation upgrades.[13] In April, he co-introduced the bipartisan ONSHORE Act to help communities attract manufacturing investment by establishing a federal grant program to prepare undeveloped sites for strategically important industries.[14]
In 2025, Sorensen was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.[15]
Committee assignments
Sorensen's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:[16]
Caucus memberships
Sorensen's caucus memberships include:[17]
- Congressional Equality Caucus (co-chair)
- New Democrat Coalition
- Labor Caucus
- Future Forum
- Heartland Caucus
Personal life
Electoral history
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Sorensen | 14,702 | 37.7 | |
| Democratic | Litesa Wallace | 9,103 | 23.3 | |
| Democratic | Jonathan Logemann | 5,628 | 14.4 | |
| Democratic | Angie Normoyle | 4,818 | 12.4 | |
| Democratic | Marsha Williams | 2,701 | 6.9 | |
| Democratic | Jacqueline McGowan | 2,040 | 5.2 | |
| Write-in | 14 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 39,006 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Sorensen | 121,186 | 52.0 | |
| Republican | Esther Joy King | 111,931 | 48.0 | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 233,123 | 100.0 | ||
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Sorensen (incumbent) | 170,261 | 54.4 | |
| Republican | Joe McGraw | 142,567 | 45.6 | |
| Total votes | 312,828 | 100.0 | ||
