Eric Sorensen
DemocratU.S. Representative, IL-17| Age | 50 (b. 1976-03-18) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2023-01-03 (~3 yrs) |
| Education | Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford, IL (1994); B.S. in communications and meteorology, Northern Illinois University (1999) |
| Prior occupation | Television meteorologist (1999-2021); chief meteorologist at WREX (Rockford, NBC) 2003-2014 and senior meteorologist at WQAD (Moline, ABC); later a communications role at UnityPoint Health |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Rockford, Illinois |
| Marital status | unmarried (lives with partner) — Shawn (partner; surname not publicly disclosed) |
| Residence | Moline, Illinois |
| Openly LGBTQ | yes |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · religion · languages · children · notable relatives.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2022 |
| Committees | Committee on Agriculture · Committee on Armed Services |
| Caucuses | Congressional Equality Caucus · New Democrat Coalition · Labor Caucus · Future Forum · Heartland Caucus |
| Leadership | Co-Chair, Congressional Equality Caucus (119th Congress) |
| Ideology | Member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition; in 2025 was one of 46 House Democrats who joined Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act |
| Signature legislation | Stop Games Act (2023, introduced) - aimed at lowering drug costs · Upper Mississippi River Levee Safety Act (2023, bipartisan, introduced) · ONSHORE Act (2024, bipartisan, introduced) - manufacturing investment · Homegrown Fertilizer Act (bipartisan, introduced) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Top donors: American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) ($87,014) · Beam Legal Team (top donor to Eric Sorensen Victory Fund) ($29,300)
Top industries: Retired · Lawyers/Law Firms · Pro-Israel
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.