Eric Sorensen defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District on June 28, 2022. Based on unofficial returns, Sorensen received 38% of the vote, while Litesa Wallace came in second with 23%. Incumbent Rep. Cheri Bustos (D) did not run for re-election.
Sorensen, Wallace, Jonathan Logemann, and Angie Normoyle led in fundraising ahead of the primary.
Sorensen, a TV meteorologist in the Quad Cities area, focused on climate change, saying, “Now is the time to act, and we need an experienced climate communicator to lead.” Sorensen also focused on LGBTQ issues and spoke about experiencing discrimination early in his career. Sorensen said, “[At my first TV job], I was told that I couldn’t be gay and work there. My experiences in Rockford and the Quad Cities were quite different — I was able to be out on TV! And in the Quad Cities, I took a more active role in our LGBTQ community.”
