District: IL-17
Cook Political Ranking: Likely D
Performance Voter Index: D+3
Rep. Sorensen has been serving as the U.S. House of Representatives for Illinois’s 17th congressional district since 2023. Notably, he is the first openly gay member of Congress from Illinois. Prior to Congress, Sorensen worked as a meteorologist.

Illinois’s 17th congressional district includes the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as portions of Peoria and Rockford. Democrat Rep. Cheri Bustos held the seat for five terms before Sorensen was elected. In the 2024 race, Rep. Sorensen faced off and ultimately defeated the GOP challenger and former Circuit Court judge Joseph McGraw by 9 points (27,674 votes). During the 2024 cycle, Sorensen raised $4.9 million, and his opponent, McGraw, raised $1.5 million. Several super PACs, national party committees, politically active nonprofits, and other non-candidate groups together spent more than $1.5 million. This is Rep. Sorensen’s second time seeking reelection in this district.