Eric Sorensen, the First Out Gay Member of Congress From Illinois, Secures a Third Term

This story originally appeared on The Advocate.Rep. Eric Sorensen, a former TV meteorologist and the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Illinois, has won a third term representing the state’s 17th Congressional District.In Tuesday’s election, he faced GOP small business owner Dillan Vancil. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Sorensen with 59 percent to 40 percent. The Democratic congressman won at 9:46 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, with 24 percent of votes countedSorensen was first elected in the 2022 midterm cycle after former Rep. Cheri Bustos retired from the seat she had held since 2013, narrowly defeating Republican opponent Esther Joy King 52 percent to 48 percent. In 2024, he fended off a challenge from Republican Joseph McGraw with a slightly larger margin to secure a second term.Related: Gay congressman confronts Pete Hegseth over Harvey Milk ship, military diversitySorensen’s major area of focus in Congress has been securing federal dollars for Illinois infrastructure, including over $100 million for projects in Western Illinois. A co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Sorensen also serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Agriculture. In June, he voted for a resolution opposing the war in Iran.In an interview with The Advocate in 2024, Sorensen opened up on the importance of speaking up for LGBTQ+ equality and fighting back against homophobic rhetoric in Congress. "We have taken some incredibly terrible votes on LGBTQ rights that are so hurtful. Sometimes I wonder to myself, where are we? Where are the people that should be standing up and shouting that this isn’t OK?"He also said he drew strength from the LGBTQ+ community as he awaited expanded representation in Congress. “I think those are the things that we have to hold on to while we champion how we’re going to get more voices in this place,” he said.Sorensen’s reelection campaign focused on everyday living expenses and healthcare costs, with his web