By WMBD-TV
MOLINE – U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen wants to put a few things in the forefront for the 17th District following his successful reelection bid.
His day-after election night reaction
The Moline Democrat spoke to reporters over a Zoom call and gave his thoughts after he beat Republican Joe McGraw. Sorensen garnered just shy of 54% of the vote over his GOP challenger.
The 17th District stretches to Rockford in the North, Bloomington to the South and includes parts of Peoria as well as three of the “Quad Cities” — Rock Island, Moline and East Moline.
“It is the honor of my life to serve my hometown,” he said, “my home district, the place where my mom and dad met, where my dad graduated from college in Peoria, had their first house, moved to Rockford, raised our kids, and then now I’m able to put my own roots down in the Quad Cities.”
Sorensen also said he “spent more than two decades making sure my community knew what was ahead,” citing his time as a meteorologist for local news stations.
What he wants for the future
One of Sorensen’s outspoken hopes is legislation that would increase the price of grain, a priority that is in keeping with the district’s strong roots in farming.
“We need to pass a farm bill so that grain prices go up because when grain prices go up, it means that our farmers have more money in their pockets to be able to afford the implements that John Deere builds,” he said.
He shared that he wants to “allow John Deere to grow.”
What he says gave him success
Sorensen said he has gotten work done across the aisle, which he said he wants to continue.
“Everything that I’ve done in the House of Representatives was really done in a bipartisan manner,” he said. “Eight in 10 pieces of legislation that my name went on, there’s a Republican’s name, too. So it is finding those places of consensus where we can find them.”
