WASHINGTON — U.S. Congressman-elect Eric Sorensen was sworn in on Saturday in Washington D.C. to begin his term as U.S. Representative from Illinois' 17th District.
Sorensen, a meteorologist from Rockford, defeated Republican Esther Joy King, a lawyer who serves in the Army Reserve, in November's election, following long-time Congresswoman Cheri Bustos' retirement from Congress. The northwestern Illinois district stretches from Rockford in the north to Peoria and Bloomington in central Illinois.
Sorensen previously worked as a meteorologist at multiple TV stations, including WQAD, within the 17th District, in the Quad Cities and Rockford.
Sorensen, whose campaign tagline was “Forecasting a Bright Future for Illinois,” said he will focus on addressing inflation and shoring up reproductive rights during his first Congress term.
He will be the first LGBTQ person to represent Illinois in Congress, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, an organization that works to increase the number of publically-out LGBTQ elected officials.
“This place is special and it’s going to be represented by someone who’s spent nearly their entire life living, working, and actively engaging in our community here, and will make sure that our community has a seat at the table,” he said via campaign statement.
Sorensen has called for bipartisan efforts to bring down costs for food, healthcare and gas, and says he disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which struck down constitutional protection for abortion. Safe and legal abortion is a reproductive right and constitutes a healthcare matter between a woman and her doctor, according to Sorensen.
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