Incumbent Eric Sorensen (D) and Joseph G. McGraw (R) are running in the general election in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District

Incumbent Eric Sorensen (D) and Joseph G. McGraw (R) are running in the general election in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District on Nov. 5, 2024.

Sorensen was first elected in 2022, defeating Esther Joy King (R) 52.0%–48.0%. In 2020, Joe Biden (D) defeated Donald Trump (R) in the district 52.7%–44.9%. As of Jun. 21, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales each rated the election Lean Democratic. Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) are targeting the district.

Sorensen is a former meteorologist. Sorensen says he is running to continue his work “protecting our neighbors and our communities, values I learned from my family at an early age.”

McGraw is a retired judge who served on the felony division of the Illinois Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court. McGraw says he is running “to take on corruption in Washington and return our district to a safe, free, and economically prosperous community.”

All 435 seats in the U.S. House are up for election in 2024. Republicans have a 219 to 213 majority with three vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) beat Joe Biden (D) 49.7%-48.1%.

Illinois’ 17th Congressional District is one of 37 congressional districts with a Democratic incumbent or an open seat the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is targeting in 2024.