Midterm results: Democrat Eric Sorensen defeats Esther Joy King in Illinois House race
Rachel Schilke
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Democrat Eric Sorensen beat Republican challenger Esther Joy King to represent Illinois’s 17th Congressional District, taking over for incumbent Rep. Cheri Bustos, who held the seat for a decade.
Sorensen’s win is significant for the Democratic Party, as Republicans were eyeing the district as one of four in Illinois they hoped would turn red in their bid to take control of the House.
Bustos decided to retire, leaving the spot open for Sorensen or King. This is King’s second attempt at running for office. She lost to Bustos in the 2020 election cycle by 4 percentage points.
Sorensen won despite raising less than King — Sorensen raised approximately $2.1 million, while King raised $4.3 million, as of Sept. 30.
The Democratic nominee, and now representative-elect, appealed to voters as a resident “born and raised” in the 17th Congressional District. He also supported fully funding law enforcement, going against some liberal calls to “defund the police.”
Sorensen, a former meteorologist, ran a campaign advocating aggressive action to address climate change while acknowledging there is not a “silver bullet” to solve the issue.
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He’s said in interviews that some of the first things he wants to tackle in Washington are inflation, the cost of prescription drugs, and the upcoming farm bill. In his own district, he wants to focus on education, including safety for students and support for teachers.
The 17th District race was rated a “Democratic toss-up” by the Cook Political Report heading into Election Day.