Former TV Weatherman Wins Democratic Primary in 17th District
Former Quad Cities and Rockford TV meteorologist Eric Sorensen won the Democratic nomination in the 17th Congressional District Tuesday defeating former Rep. Litesa Wallace. He is hoping to replace Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, who isn’t seeking re-election.
Eric Sorenson won the Democratic primary in the 17th Congressional district and is expected to face Republican Esther Joy King.
Six Democrats and two Republicans sought their party’s nomination for the seat being vacated by Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-Moline). The 17hh district includes much of northwest Illinois, including part of the Quad Cities, Peoria and Rockford. Barack Obama won the district both in 2008 and 2012, and Donald Trump won it in both 2016 and 2020.
Sorensen, who lives in the Quad Cities, previously worked as a meteorologist for WQAD TV and as chief meteorologist at WREX in Rockford. He would be the LGBTQ+ member of Congress elected from Illinois.
He faces Republican Esther Joy King, who narrowly fell to Bustos in 2020. King practices law in East Moline and previously served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve where she spent time in Afghanistan. During the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, King said she helped dozens of young girls she previously taught to escape the Taliban.
President Joe Biden won the district by around 8 percentage points in 2020 and Governor JB Pritzker defeated Bruce Rauner by around 9 points in 2018. Though, Republicans are expected to make gains in the district in 2022.
