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player ready...In the annals of misshapen Illinois political districts, Illinois’ 17th Congressional District is a curved hodgepodge of blue urban and suburban areas alongside massive swaths of deeply conservative farmland. This makes its politics complicated. Sitting U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, 50, has represented this district since 2023.
We did not endorse Sorensen in 2024, choosing instead to support retired Illinois Judge Joe McGraw, whom we endorsed in the Republican primary and who said he wanted to reach out to so-called Reagan Democrats. That struck a chord with us, as did his commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.
Sorensen prevailed, defeating his Republican opponent by about 9 percentage points.
This time around, he’s squaring off against a less seasoned opponent in Dillan Vancil, 33, who despite having served as a school board member is a newcomer Republican and small business owner who has run an energetic campaign.
We endorsed Vancil ahead of the primary, acknowledging that some of his positions are far to our right — something that made us consider not endorsing in this Republican primary at all. What assuaged our misgivings was Vancil’s commitment to lowering the tax burden and that he told us he supports “strong, instant background checks for all commercial (gun) sales.” We are impressed by his passion for healthcare reform and affordability. He does not strike us as a pure Trump loyalist, but we are disappointed that he has been unwilling to oppose the president’s tariff policy.
Time and again, Sorensen has found a way to motivate voters in this misshapen swath of downstate Illinois, which includes Rockford, the Quad Cities, Bloomington and Peoria. In a time when many Illinois politicians have staked their reputations solely on taking on, fighting or otherwise attacking an unpopular Republican president, Sorensen has seemed more able to maintain a focus on the issues, even crossing party lines from time to time. Like Budzinski, he’s a member of the New Democrat Coalition. He clearly understands he’s in a competitive district.
“I’ve never let the author of a bill’s party or personal politics stop me from signing on to legislation that helps the people of Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, and I never will,” he told us.
Though Vancil is a good option for conservative Republican voters in the district, we extend our support to Sorensen, who has not earned our endorsement before.
Eric Sorensen is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].