IL Meteorologist Sorensen Becomes State's First Openly Gay Congressman

ILLINOIS — Eric Sorensen, the Quad Cities-area meteorologist who ran for Congress in Illinois' 17th District, announced on Wednesday that his Republican challenger had conceded the election, making Sorensen the first openly gay Congressman in state history.

Sorensen announced in a media release on Wednesday that his opponent, Joy King, had called to concede after returns showed Sorensen capturing 52 percent of the vote with 88 percent of votes tallied. King had 48 percent of the vote when she conceded the election, Sorensen wrote that both candidates had shown passion about despite disagreeing on the issues.

Sorensen's Congressional district includes the Quad Cities and parts of Peoria and Rockford.

“I’ve worked to serve the people of Central and NW Illinois for 22 years, earning their trust by telling them the truth and helping them make the right decisions for their lives,” Sorensen said in the news release. “In Congress, I will bring that same honesty to representing them and commitment to fighting for lower costs, reproductive rights, and good-paying, sustainable jobs right here at home.”

Sorensen was raised in Rockford and, according to the Victory Fund website, came out while he was a student at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He became the chief meteorologist at WREX in Rockford at age 27 and spent 11 years there before moving to the Quad Cities and Moline, where he worked for seven years in TV news.

The website said Sorensen experienced discrimination at his first TV job in Texas, where he was called into his boss’ office and found his contract on the desk with a morals clause highlighted. He was told that he couldn’t be gay and work there, the website said.

Sorensen said on his campaign website that those experiences, along with those of building the trust of viewers in his TV jobs, led him to want to serve people at a higher level, which is something he is committed to now that he has been elected to Congress.

“Our communities are stronger when we work together, neighbor by neighbor,” Sorensen said. “I look forward to advocating on behalf of the people of Central and NW Illinois and making sure that they have a seat at the table. And I look forward to continuing to be a good neighbor.”