CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Democrats in congressional races across the state worked to fend off challenges from Republicans, but the state’s two most competitive races remained too early to call early Wednesday.
The races involve two first-term representatives seeking reelection. Rep. Eric Sorensen was leading over Republican Joe McGraw in the 17th Congressional District, while Rep. Nikki Budzinski was ahead of Republican Joshua Loyd in the 13th District.
Democrats had an advantage heading into the election, leading in fundraising and armed with a political map that favors incumbents. In hopes of boosting turnout, leaders in the blue state also put before voters three non-binding advisory questions on property tax relief, insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization and election worker interference.
While Republicans took the U.S. Senate majority on Tuesday, control of the House was still up for grabs with over 100 races yet to be called.
Here’s a closer look at Illinois’ competitive U.S. House races.
17th District
The matchup in the sprawling “C-shaped” northwest Illinois district was among the most competitive in the state.
Covering union-heavy manufacturing areas and college towns, the territory leans Democratic. But it also features pockets of farmland, which trend conservative.
Sorensen, a former television meteorologist, was first elected to office in 2022. The 48-year-old had backing from unions and farmers and dominated in fundraising. According to Federal Election Commission data, he has more than $4.5 million in total contributions compared to McGraw’s roughly $1.3 million.
While the race was too early to call Wednesday, Sorensen declared victory and thanked supporters gathered in Moline.
“Over the past two years, I’ve set out to make sure our community has a trusted neighbor serving them in Congress,” Sorensen said in a statement. “Now, it’s about coming together to do what’s best for all of us and I am proud to be the good neighbor to represent you!”
McGraw’s campaign did not return messages seeking comment.
On the campaign trail, Sorensen tried to appeal to both Democrats and Republicans. Often touting his background in weather, he’s advocated for green energy and ways to fight climate change. At the same time he notes he was one of only four Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee who backed a new farm bill earlier this year.
A former judge and prosecutor from Rockford, McGraw said Sorensen isn’t the right fit for the district, calling out his views on climate change and his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Sorensen is openly gay.
“People are ready for change,” McGraw, 69, said at a fundraiser in Rockford. “He’s a climate extremist. He’s committed to every woke agenda.”
McGraw touted support from law enforcement groups and national Republican groups, including the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Young Guns” program, which mentors and supports candidates in races nationwide.
13th District
Budzinski, 47, was seeking a second term in the narrow, Democrat-leaning district that cuts through central Illinois from the St. Louis area to Champaign and includes college towns and agricultural communities.
She says one of her biggest accomplishments as a congresswoman was helping secure a $51 million federal grant for an agricultural tech hub run by the University of Illinois.
“People really want their elected officials to find solutions, not create more political noise,” said Budzinski, who was first elected in 2022.
Once a senior adviser to Gov. JB Pritzker and a labor union activist, Budzinksi has also vastly overtaken Loyd in fundraising. She’s raised roughly $4 million in total contributions, compared to Loyd’s about $76,000, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
But Budzinski’s 26-year-old challenger said he only recently started fundraising and had started campaigning full time.
Loyd says Budzinski could do more to help constituents. A graduate of West Point military academy, he says he struggled to get veterans benefits after being medically discharged from the military and elected leaders didn’t help him.
He says ensuring veterans get their entitled benefits is among his top priorities.
“I have continuously put myself out there for the community, for the state, for the country,” he said. “And I do not have any intentions to stop.”
Other notable races
Two other incumbent Democrats’ races — both in the Chicago area — fended of spirited challenges from Republicans.
Rep. Sean Casten was reelected to a fourth term in the largely suburban 6th District after a spirited challenge from Republican Niki Conforti.
A scientist and businessman-turned politician, Casten first won office in 2018 when he flipped a longtime Republican territory and ousted a six-term incumbent. The redrawn district now leans Democrat and is comprised of communities southwest of Chicago along neighborhoods on its South Side.
Casten thanked supporters and said he felt hopeful about the future.
“No matter who you voted for in this election, who your neighbors or loved ones voted for, do not lose sight of the fact that we are one people – the American people – bound by these shared values,” Casten said in a statement.
West of Chicago, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood was reelected to a fourth term in the 14th District. Her opponent was Jim Marter, a software consultant and former chairman of the Republican Party of Kendall County.
Underwood was first elected in 2018, unseating a four-term Republican and becoming the youngest Black woman to join the U.S. House. She previously worked as a nurse.
Reproductive rights was one of the main issues in the district that includes western suburbs and rural communities. Underwood has said she fully supports abortion rights while Marter opposes abortion without exception.
Underwood said the seven counties that make up the district are diverse.
“Despite all our differences, we are a hopeful community,” she said in a post late Tuesday on the social media platform X. “And together we will move forward, with a commitment to freedom and justice for all.”
Sophia Tareen, The Associated Press
