Summary
Current Position: US House of Representatives for District 17 since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Meteorologist and Communications Manager
District: Includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peoria and Rockford
Upcoming Election:
He studied communications and meteorology at Northern Illinois University. Sorensen began his career as a meteorologist. 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.
OnAir Post: Eric Sorensen IL-17
News
Latest News
About
Source: Government page
Congressman Eric Sorensen was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois.
He served communities across Central and Northwestern Illinois as a local TV meteorologist for over two decades, communicating live-saving information that impacted Illinoisans’ jobs, schools, farms, and safety. To Eric, being a meteorologist was about building trust and protecting his community.
In Congress, Sorensen still values being a trusted neighbor to the residents of Illinois’ 17th Congressional District. He is focused on lowering costs for working families, creating sustainable jobs in Central and Northwestern Illinois, and supporting the family farms and rural communities that keep our economy moving forward.
Sorensen proudly represents Illinois farmers on the House Agriculture Committee and uses his background in science to contribute to his role on the Science, Space, & Technology Committee. On the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Sorensen serves as Ranking Member on the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.
He currently resides in Moline with his partner Shawn and his dogs Petey and Oliver.
Personal
Full Name: Eric Sorensen
Gender: Male
Family: Partner: Shawn
Birth Place: Rockford, IL
Home City: Moline, IL
Source: Vote Smart
Education
BS, Northern Illinois University, 1994-1999
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Illinois, District 17, 2023-Present
Professional Experience
Senior Meteorologist, WQAD News 8, 2014-2021
Chief Meteorologist, WREX TV, 2006-2014
Morning Meteorologist, WREX TV, 2003-2006
Morning Meteorologist, KLTV, 2000-2003
Chief Meteorologist, KTRE, 1999-2000
Offices
Washington DC Office
1205 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 225-5905
Rockford District Office
401 E. State Street
Ground Floor
Rockford, IL 61104Phone: (779) 513-4960
Rock Island District Office
2401 4th Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201Phone: (309) 786-3406
Peoria District Office
Conductor’s Quarters Building
403-1/2 NE Jefferson Street
Peoria, IL 61603Phone: (309) 621-7070
Contact
Email: Government page
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
Committees
Committee on Agriculture: oversees policies and federal agencies relating to U.S. agriculture, forestry, nutrition, rural development, and will oversee passage of the 2023 Farm Bill.
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
- Subcommittee Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: oversees agency budgets totaling over $42 billion and its jurisdiction covers most non-defense and non-human-health Federal research and development.
- Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics – Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Energy
Caucuses
- Congressional Equality Caucus – Co-Chair
- New Democrat Coalition
- Climate Change and Clean Energy Task Force – Vice Chair
- Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC)
- Pro-Choice Caucus
- Congressional Labor Caucus
- Future Forum Caucus
- Heartland Caucus
- Biofuels Caucus
- Future Farmers of America (FFA) Caucus
- Aerospace Caucus
- Modeling and Simulation Caucus – Co-Chair
- Congressional 5G and Beyond Caucus
- Congressional Bus Caucus
- Wire and Wire Products Caucus
New Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Congressman Sorensen.
Issues
Source: Government page
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
The 17th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Eric Sorensen. It includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peoria and Rockford.
The 17th congressional district has shifted northward after redistricting in 2012. It subsequently lost Quincy and Decatur, as well as its share of Springfield. It was generally thought that the redrawn map would allow the district to revert to the Democrats, who held it without interruption from 1983 to 2011. As expected, incumbent Representative Bobby Schilling was defeated, after serving only one term, by Democratic opponent Cheri Bustos in the 2012 election cycle, who served until 2023.
The boundaries were drawn in a bipartisan deal to protect both Democratic incumbent Lane Evans and neighboring Republican incumbents. The lines of the district were drawn to move Republican voters into neighboring districts and to include Democratic neighborhoods in Springfield and Decatur. Evans retired in 2006 as a result of declining health, and the seat was won by his longtime aide Phil Hare. Although the district had been designed to elect a Democrat, Hare lost in 2010 to Republican pizzeria owner Bobby Schilling. In 2012, Democrat Cheri Bustos won the district election.
In early 2021, Cheri Bustos announced her intention to retire at the end of the 117th congress. In November 2021, former WREX and WQAD meteorologist Eric Sorenson announced his candidacy for the seat. He later won the election with 52% of the vote.
Wikipedia
Eric Sorensen (/ˈsɔːrənsən/ SOAR-ən-sən; born March 18, 1976) is an American meteorologist and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Illinois’s 17th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Sorensen is the first openly gay member of Congress from Illinois.[1]
Early life and career
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Sorensen graduated from Boylan Catholic High School.[2] He studied communications and meteorology at Northern Illinois University.[3]
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.[4] He retired from television in 2021.[2][5] Sorensen took a job in communications for UnityPoint Health before announcing his run for Congress.[2]
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.[5] He defeated Esther Joy King, the Republican nominee, in the November 8, 2022, general election.[6]
Tenure
COVID-19 policy
On January 31, 2023, Sorensen voted against H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill that would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[7][8]
On February 1, 2023, Sorensen voted against a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[9][10]
Syria
In 2023, Sorensen voted against H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[11][12]
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[13]
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Ranking Member)
Caucus memberships
Source:[14]
- Congressional Equality Caucus (co-chair)
- Heartland Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition
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 | ||
Personal life
Sorensen is the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress from Illinois.[1] He lives with his partner in Moline.[1]
References
- ^ a b c “IL Meteorologist Sorensen Becomes State’s First Openly Gay Congressman”. patch.com. November 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c “Eric Sorensen, former Rockford TV meteorologist, to run for Congress”. Rrstar.com. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Kinnicutt, Grace (October 17, 2022). “Meet the Illinois-17th District candidates: Eric Sorensen and Esther Joy King”. The Quad-City Times. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ “The Flood Watcher”.
- ^ a b “Former Rockford meteorologist Eric Sorensen announces run for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District”. Wifr.com. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ “King concedes Illinois 17th Congressional District race to Sorensen”. Kwqc.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ “Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers”. January 31, 2023.
- ^ “On Passage – H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on”. August 12, 2015.
- ^ “House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency”. February 2023.
- ^ “On Passage – H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by”. August 12, 2015.
- ^ “H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … — House Vote #136 — Mar 8, 2023”. March 8, 2023.
- ^ “House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria”. Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
- ^ “Eric Sorensen”. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ “Committees and Caucuses”. Representative Eric Sorensen. January 3, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ “2022 General Election Results”. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
External links
- Congressman Eric Sorensen official U.S. House website
- Eric Sorensen for Illinois campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
