King, Sorensen is running for Illinois’ 17th House seat

ILLINOIS (KWQC) – As Americans feel the pressure of rising costs, fighting inflation is a top priority for candidates in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

If Congresswoman Cheri Bustos does not run for re-election this year, either Democrat Eric Sorensen or Republican Esther Joy King will represent a district that includes the Illinois Quad Cities, Rockford and parts of Peoria.

King is an Army reservist stationed in East Moline. Sorensen, of East Moline, is a former television meteorologist.

Reducing government spending and becoming energy independent is what King argued was the key to lowering the cost of living.

“Supporting energy diversity so that we have great sources of energy to keep the cost of electricity down,” King said. “That’s the number one thing.”

Still, Sorensen argued that encouraging green energy and lowering the cost of prescription drugs would help.

“We have to make sure the investment is there,” Sorensen said. “So there’s an incentive to buy a used EV, something a little more affordable.”

When it comes to the ongoing railroad labor dispute, Sorensen believes a potential railroad strike will be resolved before the 117th Congress. He said he was with the workers.

“In this district, especially in Galesburg, so many families are railroad families,” Sorensen said.

King believes that Congress should mediate if there is an issue. He also agrees that the region needs these jobs.

“Railways are right at the heart of the logistics and transportation expertise and power that we have here as a region,” King said.

Since the application for student loan forgiveness is now live, King said it should only be used by people entering fields such as law enforcement, education or nursing.

“Let’s make sure that taxpayers are getting value for the dollar that goes to people who are making student loan payments,” King said.

Meanwhile, Sorensen said Congress will have to deal with interest rates going forward.

“We need to look at student loan interest rates to make sure they come down so education is affordable for people who want to get an education,” Sorensen said.

This is King’s second time working for IL-17. In 2020, it lost 4 percent.

On the other hand, for Erik Sørensen, this is the first time he is running for a political seat.

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