Esther Joy King and Eric Sorensen face off to join Illinois' 17th Congressional District
Former TV weatherman and Rockford native Eric Sorensen faces a daunting challenge in his first foray into big-time politics as he campaigns to succeed U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, in Illinois' 17th Congressional District.
East Moline attorney Esther Joy King in November 2020 nearly unseated Bustos, who ultimately won seven straight elections before deciding to retire from politics. But Bustos' win was a narrow one, taking 52% of the vote by a margin of about 11,500 votes out of almost 300,000 cast.
Redistricting, which takes place after the U.S. Census every 10 years, could give Sorensen a path to victory, but it remains a challenge.
King's promising showing against Bustos led her to amass a sizable campaign war chest even before this year's primary when she faced a light challenge. Sorensen had to defeat a crowded field of candidates to win the Democratic nomination.
From past elections:After close shave, Cheri Bustos furious about polling that missed GOP gains in House
Sorensen has since October raised $599,411 and his campaign had $114,509 in cash on hand as of June 30, according to information from the Federal Election Commission. King raised $3.1 million since January 2021 and had $1.8 million in cash on hand as of June 30, according to the data.
However, Sorensen's campaign issued a news release saying that the Democrat had raised more than $1.5 million from more than 12,000 donors in the third quarter, tripling "Sorensen’s combined primary campaign raising over the previous eight months." That fundraising effort was not yet included in available federal data.
Ahead of the Nov. 8 election, we asked the candidates what would be the most pressing issues they'll face if elected and what they would do about them. Here is a closer look at the candidates.
Esther Joy King
Age: 35
City of Residence: East Moline
Education: Bachelors from Oral Roberts University; juris doctor and masters in taxation from Northwestern University.
Work experience: King and Clark, attorney, 2019 to present; U.S. Army Reserve, JAG Officer, 2018 to present; Illinois Department of Commerce, Director of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology, 2015-2016; Kirkland and Ellis, associate, 2013-2015; Aide worker in Afghanistan, 2008.
Political experience: None
Organizations and memberships: Peoria Chamber of Commerce, McLean County Chamber of Commerce, NRA
Family: My parents are Robert and Susan King; three brothers, one sister, and five nieces and nephews.
Major endorsements: Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Why are you running? My priorities are the priorities I hear from voters. One of the biggest differences between me and my opponent — he tells voters what they should care about, like climate change, and I listen to voters about the issues they care about.
What are the three most pressing issues you will face in Congress and how would you address them?
The economy: Right now, the top issue I hear from voters is we need a change to stop rising inflation. Washington’s unchecked policies are costing families an extra $115 a week. We need to stop government overspending and unleash American energy sources to lower costs. Spending has increased by $9 trillion since President Biden took office and his administration has approved significantly fewer new oil and gas leases than the last two presidents. President Biden and Speaker Pelosi’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act, supported by my opponent, spent $369 billion on climate initiatives, raised taxes on the middle class, and is expected to increase inflation. If elected, I will stand up for the people of Rockford and across this district who are working hard just to barely get by in this economy. We can’t afford more of the same.
Crime and safety: I'm hearing more and more about this issue from voters, especially in the Rockford area. The “Defund the Police” movement and negative rhetoric around police officers has helped spur massive amounts of officers retiring and recruitment problems for departments. Disturbingly, my opponent has helped spread this kind of hateful thinking toward police officers on his social media. Let’s fund, not defund the police and encourage better coordination at all levels of law enforcement. Additionally, when I talk to sheriffs, like Sheriff Gary Caruana here in Winnebago County, they’re concerned about drugs coming across the border and into our communities. Not only is it contributing to rising crime, but people are dying from fentanyl at an alarming rate. Another step we can take from the federal level, we need to discourage terrible laws, like abolishing cash bail in Chicago and soon the entire State of Illinois, that encourage recidivism and allow violent criminals back on the street.
Agriculture: I’m proud to be endorsed by the Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR. From engaging with local farmers, I know rising input costs and supply chain issues are directly related to the increase in food costs. One of the first bills up next year is the Farm Bill and I want to work on that bill to not only protect programs critical to farmers, but also address some of these input costs so we can lower the price of food. I want to work to pass policies that increase domestic energy production, including ethanol investments, so we can lower the cost of fuel. If we work together, we can help those struggling with the cost of groceries and high electric bills right now. Agriculture is one of our largest industries and it’s critical we have a strong Farm Bill for our economy.
Eric Sorensen
Age: 46
City of Residence: Moline
Education: Bachelor of Science from Northern Illinois University (1999)
Work experience: KLTV/KTRE ABC 7/ABC 9, Meteorologist, 1999-2003; WREX, NBC 13, Chief Meteorologist, 2003-2014; WQAD, ABC 8, Senior Meteorologist, 2014-2021.
Political experience: Board member of Clock, Inc. and The Project of the Quad Cities, non-profit initiatives that aim to connect vulnerable individuals to health services.
Organizations and memberships: Fellow, Society of Environmental Journalists
Family: I was born and raised in Rockford and have a brother and sister. My partner was raised in Rockton.
Major Endorsements: U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, Illinois AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 364), Communication Workers of America, 314 Action, Equality PAC, Natural Resources Defense Council, Human Rights Campaign, End Citizens United, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL, and the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund.
Why are you running? I’m running for Congress because I want to continue to be a trusted representative for my community. I was born and raised in Rockford and spent over two decades working and living in Rockford and the Quad Cities. This is home. We have a great way of life here in northwest Illinois and strong values. I want to be my community’s representative in Washington.
What are the three most pressing issues you will face in Congress and how would you address them?
Economy: We have to recognize the economic struggles that families are feeling across our communities. It’s a deeply personal issue: It impacts the people on your street, the folks on mine, and me too. We need to address the cost of living, and Congress should be working to make food, prescription drugs, health care and gas more affordable. Talking with a voter in Rockford, he asked me what he’s supposed to do now that his prescription drugs cost more than his rent. That’s not right, we need a representative who will stand up to the pharmaceutical companies, not do their bidding in Congress.
Abortion: I strongly support reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose. I am disgusted by the Dobbs decision. As I traveled across the district during county fair season, women of all political leanings (liberal, conservative, and independent) came up to me to tell me how upset they are. IL-17 is a pro-choice district and I will support codifying Roe into law in the next Congress.
Jobs: In Congress, one of my priorities will be to increase good-paying, sustainable jobs here in IL-17. These aren’t just jobs that will exist for a few years, but will last for the decades to come. We want to make our region viable for future generations, and that means we need both the jobs for today and the jobs for the future. And that means taking advantage of our rapidly changing energy infrastructure. As electrical vehicle infrastructure increases, we want to make sure that we are part of the supply chain for the future.
A Rockford Register Star reporter since 2005, Jeff Kolkey writes about city government, politics, trends in the Rockford region and more. He is a Rockford resident, a married father of two and a White Sox fan. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Candidate Esther Joy King has a financial advantage over Eric Sorensen
