Eric Sorensen claimed victory over Esther Joy King early Wednesday in the race to replace U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos in the 17th Congressional District of Illinois.
“Wow, I couldn’t be happier, standing with you tonight, declaring that we did it,” Sorensen said to start his victory speech in Moline. “The meteorologist is going to Congress!”
You can watch his entire speech in the video above.
Sorensen led King by more than 7,000 votes with around 90 percent of the precincts reporting at 2:30 a.m. The Associated Press had not called the race for Sorensen at that time, but the New York Times listed it as “very likely” to go to him. According to the newspaper’s analysis, most of the remaining votes were near Peoria and Rockford, areas that heavily favored Sorensen.
King did not make a statement.
“I am honored to be the Congressman-Elect for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, a place I’ve called home nearly my entire life,” Sorensen added on social media. “To the wonderful people of Central & Northwest Illinois – this is for you.”
