Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, endorsed Eric Sorensen for U.S. House of Representatives (IL-17). Sorensen would be the first out LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Illinois. There are currently just 11 out LGBTQ Members of Congress, only 9 of whom serve in the U.S. House. 42 states currently have no LGBTQ representation in Congress.
Democrat Cheri Bustos is retiring at the end of her current term. The 17th district "includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peoria and Rockford," according to Wikipedia.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the endorsement:
"Eric is a trusted community leader who has spent the last two decades keeping the people of Northern Illinois safe by telling the truth, reinforcing the importance of science and data, and showing up as his authentic self. LGBTQ elected officials are transformative — especially when at the highest levels of government — and we are proud to support his historic campaign. Eric will no doubt be a fierce advocate in Congress for LGBTQ people across the country."
Sorensen released the following statement about the endorsement:
"My goal has always been to protect our communities and keep people safe. I am grateful that through my tenure working in Illinois as a local meteorologist, my neighbors and community members accepted both my work and me as my true, authentic self. As a member of Congress, I look forward to passing legislation to keep our communities safe, especially LGBTQ youth. I'm honored to be endorsed by LGBTQ Victory Fund and will be proud to be Illinois' first out LGBTQ member of Congress."
Victory Fund named Sorensen a Game Changer candidate, a designation given to congressional and statewide candidates in history-making races, that comes with additional support and services from LGBTQ Victory Fund to ensure they win on Election Day.
More information about all of Victory Fund's endorsed candidates is available at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates.
LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
victoryfund.org
