Esther Joy King to face Eric Sorensen for new 17th Congressional district

PEORIA (25 News Now) - The race for Congress in Illinois’ newly-drawn 17th district features a Democrat who used to be a television meteorologist and a Republican lawyer who came very close to winning a House seat two years ago.

The new 17th district includes parts of Peoria and Bloomington, and also parts of the Quad Cities north to Freeport.

Former TV meteorologist Eric Sorensen won Tuesday’s Democratic Primary, defeating five other candidates. Sorensen will face attorney Esther Joy King, who came close to unseating long-time Congresswoman Cheri Bustos in 2020. Bustos is not seeking reelection this year.

King released the following statement:

“It is truly the honor of my lifetime to run to represent the people of this congressional district, but it’s not over yet. We have a major fight ahead of us--a fight to ensure people can fill their gas tanks and grocery carts without dipping into their rent money or retirement savings. It doesn’t have to be a choice if we elect leaders who will put their constituents first rather than far-left, out-of-touch policies and that’s exactly what I’m running to do. Let’s come together to win this in November.”

Sorensen released a statement after his primary victory.

“I got into this race because to me, being the meteorologist on TV was about protecting my community. It was about being a trusted communicator who could be relied on to tell the truth. It was more than just telling you to put on an extra layer or to grab the umbrella, it was when to take your kids to the basement for a tornado, when to prepare for flash flooding, and when to take extra caution on icy roads. Through it all, I was working for the people in our community, not the TV station.

In a moment where we are recovering from a global pandemic, seeing the rollback of reproductive rights, increasing gun violence, and painful inflation, it’s clear that we need more science and less partisan bickering. For two decades my job was to communicate truthfully to our community. Now, I am honored to be the Democratic nominee to go communicate our challenges and values to Congress.

I look forward to working tirelessly, every day, to engage voters across our district who agree that we need more science, and less politics. And I look forward to earning their votes, as they send their trusted meteorologist to Congress.”

Sorensen was born and raised in Rockford, but currently lives in Moline. King practices law in East Moline.