Candidate · November 3, 2026

Eric Sorensen

On the ballot for U.S. House · Illinois's 17th District

DemocraticIncumbent
raised through Oct 14, 2026
$2.7M
cash on hand
$1.3M
issues with public statements
10
outside spending for or against
$7,500

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeU.S. House · Illinois's 17th District1
Party on the ballotDemocratic1
StatusIncumbent — Currently represents Illinois's 17th District in the U.S. House.2
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

His campaign website says Eric Sorensen worked as a television meteorologist in Rockford and then the Quad Cities before entering Congress.3 Ballotpedia lists him as holding a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University.4 He represents Illinois's 17th District in the U.S. House, and his campaign website says he serves on the House Agriculture Committee.5,6

Why they say they're running

His campaign website says he is running to preserve his communities' way of life for future generations and to keep working for the people and the place he loves, tackling real problems with common-sense, bipartisan solutions.7

Service in Congress since 2023

  • 2025–nowU.S. Representative, IL-172
  • 2023–2025U.S. Representative, IL-172

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Agriculture and Rural Life

Ethanol and biofuel requirements

His campaign website says that on the Agriculture Committee he is leading the fight to bring cheaper, higher-blend ethanol fuel to market year-round.6

  1. Expand biofuel use, such as by allowing E15 sales all year
  2. Keep the current requirements
  3. Lower the requirements or end the Renewable Fuel Standard
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Abortion and Reproductive Health

Abortion law

His campaign website says he supports codifying Roe v. Wade and permanently restoring a woman's right to choose into law.9

  1. Legal only to save the pregnant woman's life
  2. Legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to save the woman's life
  3. Legal early in pregnancy only, up to a limit such as 6, 12 or 15 weeks
  4. Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health
  5. Legal at every stage, with no limit based on weeks of pregnancy
Marked: the option their statement matches.
Who sets abortion law

His campaign website says he supports codifying Roe v. Wade and has helped introduce legislation to make abortion care accessible nationwide.9

  1. A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
  2. Leave abortion law to each state
  3. A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties

Discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity

His campaign website says he helps lead the reintroduction of the Equality Act to codify federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans in housing, employment and public spaces.10

  1. Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
  2. Add protections with broad exemptions for religious groups and businesses
  3. No new federal protections; leave it to the states
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Health Care

Medical transition for minors

His campaign website says he opposes state and federal bills that target transgender youth and their families, and that private medical decisions belong to parents, doctors and the individuals themselves.10

  1. Ban these treatments for minors
  2. Allow some with limits, such as minimum ages, waiting periods or no surgery
  3. No legal limits; leave decisions to patients, parents and doctors
Marked: the option their statement matches.
Health insurance system

His campaign website says he believes everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and that he will work to defend and improve the Affordable Care Act to protect coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.11

Crime, Policing and Prisons

Police funding

His campaign website says he led the effort in Congress to deliver millions of dollars to local police departments and led more than 40 members in advocating against cuts to funding for local police departments in congressional budgets.5,12

Social Security and Medicare

Social Security benefit levels

His campaign website says he opposes any legislation that privatizes or cuts Social Security and Medicare, and supports efforts to increase Social Security benefits for seniors and make the program solvent for future generations.13

  1. Increase benefits, for example with larger yearly cost-of-living raises
  2. Keep the current benefit formula
  3. Slow benefit growth for higher earners or future retirees
Marked: the option their statement matches.
Medicare drug price negotiation

His campaign website says he is working to lower prescription drug costs by protecting and expanding Medicare's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.11

  1. Repeal or scale back negotiation
  2. Keep the program as it is
  3. Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Economy, Jobs and Trade

Union organizing rules

His campaign website lists helping introduce the PRO Act to push back against anti-worker laws and protect workers' right to organize among his legislative wins.5

  1. Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
  2. Keep current rules
  3. Add requirements such as a secret-ballot election before every union is recognized
Marked: the option their statement matches.

§4Popular bills that never got a vote

Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.

While Eric Sorensen served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. Eric Sorensen sponsored or cosponsored 43 of the 52. How bills die without a vote.

See all 52

§5Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.

Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.66

Raised$2,657,085
Spent$1,480,017
Cash on hand$1,289,862

Where the money came from

Individual donors$1.5M · 56%
PACs and other political committees$1.0M · 38%
Transfers from the candidate's other committees$96K · 4%
Other receipts (other loans, refunds, interest)$47K · 2%

Outside spending

Groups spending independently reported $7,500 supporting and $0 opposing Eric Sorensen this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through October 16, 2026.67

Largest independent spenders, as named in their FEC filings.
GroupSupportingOpposing
ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION ACTIVATOR POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT FUND (FED) 'ACTIVATOR'/'ILLINOIS F$7,500—

Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.

§6Financial disclosures

Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.