| State: | Illinois |
| District Number: | 17 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023. Points indicate major cities in the district. |
| Representative: | Eric Sorensen |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Moline |
| English Area: | 4571.4 |
| Percent Urban: | 73.3 |
| Percent Rural: | 26.7 |
| Population: | 728,697 |
| Population Year: | 2023 |
| Median Income: | $57,307[1] |
| Percent White: | 67.5 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 11.2 |
| Percent Black: | 14.2 |
| Percent Asian: | 2.1 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 4.4 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.6 |
| Cpvi: | D+2[2] |
The 17th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Eric Sorensen. It 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.
The 17th congressional district has shifted northward after redistricting in 2012. It subsequently lost Quincy and Decatur, as well as its share of Springfield. It was generally thought that the redrawn map would allow the district to revert to the Democrats, who held it without interruption from 1983 to 2011.[3] As expected, incumbent Representative Bobby Schilling was defeated, after serving only one term, by Democratic opponent Cheri Bustos in the 2012 election cycle, who served until 2023.[4] [5]
The boundaries were drawn in a bipartisan deal to protect both Democratic incumbent Lane Evans and neighboring Republican incumbents. The lines of the district were drawn to move Republican voters into neighboring districts and to include Democratic neighborhoods in Springfield and Decatur.[6] Evans retired in 2006 as a result of declining health, and the seat was won by his longtime aide Phil Hare. Although the district had been designed to elect a Democrat, Hare lost in 2010 to Republican pizzeria owner Bobby Schilling. In 2012, Democrat Cheri Bustos won the district election.
In early 2021, Cheri Bustos announced her intention to retire at the end of the 117th congress.[5] In November 2021, former WREX and WQAD meteorologist Eric Sorenson announced his candidacy for the seat.[7] He later won the election with 52% of the vote.[8]
The district covers parts of Peoria, Tazewell and Winnebago counties, and all of Carroll, Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stephenson, Warren and Whiteside counties, as of the 2011 redistricting which followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Canton, East Moline, Freeport, Galesburg, Kewanee, Moline, Peoria, Rock Island, Rockford, Pekin and Sterling are included.[9] The representatives for these districts were elected in the 2012 primary and general elections, and the boundaries became effective on January 5, 2013.
| County | Seat | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Carroll | Mount Carroll | 15,526 | |
| 57 | Fulton | Lewistown | 32,541 | |
| 73 | Henry | Cambridge | 48,448 | |
| 95 | Knox | Galesburg | 48,411 | |
| 109 | McDonough | Macomb | 26,839 | |
| 131 | Mercer | Aledo | 15,487 | |
| 113 | McLean | Bloomington | 170,441 | |
| 143 | Peoria | Peoria | 177,513 | |
| 161 | Rock Island | Rock Island | 141,236 | |
| 177 | Stephenson | Freeport | 43,105 | |
| 179 | Tazewell | Pekin | 129,541 | |
| 187 | Warren | Monmouth | 16,185 | |
| 195 | Whiteside | Morrison | 54,498 | |
| 201 | Winnebago | Rockford | 280,922 |
As of the 2020 redistricting, this district will retain the Illinois side of the Quad Cities area where much of its population previously resided, while its southern borders will now extend further into Central Illinois. The district will take in parts of Henry, Warren, and McDonough Counties; half of Mercer, Stephenson, Tazewell, McLean, Fulton, and Peoria Counties; and all of Carroll, Rock Island, Whiteside, and Knox Counties.
Henry County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned on the northwest side by Shaffer Creek, Oakwood Cir, Oakmont Dr, Oakwood Country Club, Glenwood Rd, US Highway 6, E 450th St, Illinois Highway 280, Green River Rd, and Kings Dr. They are partitioned on the southeast side by E 1770th St, N 650th Ave/N 570th Ave, Timber Rd, E 2400th St, and N 1200 St. The 17th district takes in the municipalities of Colona, Kewanee, and Galva.
Warren County is split between this district and the 15th district. They are partitioned by 60th St and 180th Ave. The 17th district takes in the communities of Alexis (shared with Mercer County), Monmouth, and part of Cameron.
McDonough County is split between this district and the 15th district. They are partitioned by US Highway 136, US Highway 67, N 1150th Rd, Grant St, Deer Rd, N 1200th St, S Quail Walk Rd, Jamestown Rd, Arlington Rd, La Moine River, Emory Rd, N 1400th Rd, Krohe Dr, E 1200th St, N 1800th Rd, and E 1900th St, N 1700th St, E 2000th St. The 17th district takes in the municipality of Bardolph and most of Macomb.
Mercer County is split between this district and the 15th district. They are partitioned by 220th St. The 17th district takes in the communties of Burgess, Matherville, Viola, Preemption, Sherrard, Swedona, Cable, Windsor, North Henderson, and Alexis (shared with Warren County).
Stephenson County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by Daws Rd, Howardsville Rd, Cedarville Rd, N Fawver Rd, and Maize Rd. The 17th district takes in the communities of Freeport, Pearl City, Bolton, Ridott, German Valley, Willow Lake; and part of Baileyville, Cedarville, and Lena.
Tazewell County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by Illinois River, S 3rd St, Prince St, Elm St, Maple St, Mechanic St, Koch St, 5th St, Illinois Central Railroad, Townline Rd, Highway I-55, Illinois Highway 122, Indian Creek, Southwest Lincoln St, Southeast Main St, Hopedale Rd, Springtown Rd, Mackinaw Rd, and Lagoon Rd. The 17th district takes in the communities of Delavan, Green Valley, and Armington; most of South Pekin; and part of Pekin (shared with Peoria County).
McLean County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by E 1000 North Rd, N 250 East Rd, E 1200 North Rd, Middle Fork Sugar Creek, E 1250 North Rd, N 750 East Rd, E 1300 North Rd, E 1280 North Rd, N 900 East Rd, E 1350 North Rd, E 1400 North Rd, N 1100 East Rd, N Rivian Motorway, King Mill Creek, Illinois Highway 74, Hovey Ave, S Cottage Ave, Gregory St, N Adelaide St, W Raab Rd, N Towanda Ave, E Shelbourne Dr, Old Route 66, Hershey Rd, E College Ave, Illinois Highway 55, Sugar Creek, General Electric Rd, Rainbow Ave, Mill Creek Rd, Clearwater Ave, Newcastle Dr, Illinois Highway 9, S Towanda Barnes Rd, Central Illinois Airport, Winchester Dr, S Hershey Rd, E Oakland Ave, S Veterans Parkway, S Mercer Ave, Norfolk and Southern Railroad, Rhodes Ln, E Hamilton Rd, S Morris Ave, Six Points Rd, W Oakland Ave, Fox Creek Rd, Crooked Creek Rd, Carrington Ln, and N 1200 East Rd. The 17th district takes in the communities of McLean, Shirley; most of Bloomington; and southern Normal.
Fulton County is split between this district and the 15th district. They are partitioned by East Oscar Linn Highway. The 17th district takes in the communities of Canton, Cuba, Farmington (shared with Peoria County), Avon, Marietta, Ellisville, Smithfield, Fairview, Norris, St. David, Bryant, Dunfermline, and Banner.
Peoria County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by W Gerber Rd/W Rosenbohm Rd, W Southport Rd, BN & SF Railroad, W Southport Rd, N Townhouse Rd, W Cottonwood Rd, N McAllister Rd, W Greengold Rd, W Farmington Rd, N Kickapoo Creek Rd, Saint Mary's Cemetery, N Swords Ave, N Northcrest Dr, C & NW Railroad, Weaverridge Golf Club, W Charter Oak Rd, Illinois Highway 6, W War Memorial Dr, N Allen Rd, W Northmoor Rd, Big Hollow Creek, West Imperial Dr, West Willow Knolls Dr, North University St, Manning Park, West Teton Dr, Illinois Highway 40, North Prospect Rd, East Prospect Ln, North Montclair Ave, East Euclid Ave, North Grandview Dr, Forest Park Nature Center, Forest Park Apartments, North Galena Rd, Illinois Highway 29, and Forest Park Riverfront-Longshore. The 17th district takes in the communities of Hanna City, Glasford, Elmwood, Farmington (shared with Fulton County), Trivoli, Smithville, Lake Camelot, Kingston Mines, Bartonville, and Mapleton; most of Peoria, West Peoria, and Bellevue; and part of Norwood, Peoria Heights, and Pekin (shared with Tazewell County).
Winnebago County is split between this district and the 16th district. The 17th district takes in the communities of Winnebago; most of Rockford; and part of Loves Park.
From 2003 to 2013 the district was known as "the rabbit on a skateboard" for its unusual shape devised as the outcome of gerrymandering.[10] [11]
This table indicates how the district has voted in U.S. presidential elections; election results reflect voting in the district as it was configured at the time of the election, not as it is configured today.
| Year | Office | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Al Gore 53% – George W. Bush 43% | |
| 2004 | President | John Kerry 51% – George W. Bush 48% | |
| 2008 | President | Barack Obama 60% – John McCain 39% | |
| 2012 | President | Barack Obama 57% – Mitt Romney 41% | |
| 2016 | President | Hillary Clinton 50% – Donald Trump 42% | |
| 2020 | President | Joe Biden 54% – Donald Trump 42% |
This table indicates how the district has voted in recent statewide elections; election results reflect voting in the district as it is currently configured, not necessarily as it was at the time of these elections.
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | President | Hillary Clinton 49.6% – Donald Trump 42.9% |
| Senate | Tammy Duckworth 49.9% – Mark Kirk 44.0% | |
| 2018 | Governor | J. B. Pritzker 50.2% – Bruce Rauner 40.9% |
| Attorney General | Kwame Raoul 50.3% – Erika Harold 46.9% | |
| Secretary of State | Jesse White 64.1% – Jason Helland 33.3% | |
| 2020 | President | Joe Biden 52.7% – Donald Trump 44.9% |
| Senate | Dick Durbin 52.6% – Mark Curran 43.5% | |
| 2022 | Senate | Tammy Duckworth 51.9% – Kathy Salvi 46.1% |
| Governor | J. B. Pritzker 49.4% – Darren Bailey 47.6% | |
| Attorney General | Tom DeVore 49.7% – Kwame Raoul 47.4% | |
| Secretary of State | Dan Brady 51.3% – Alexi Giannoulias 45.9% |
| Representative | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1873 | |||||||||
| align=left nowrap | William R. Morrison | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1883 | Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Samuel W. Moulton | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1882. Retired. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | John R. Eden | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887 | Elected in 1884. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Edward Lane | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1895 | Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Redistricted to the 18th district and lost re-election there. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | James A. Connolly | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899 | Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Retired. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Ben F. Caldwell | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903 | Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Redistricted to the 21st district. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | John A. Sterling | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913 | Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Louis FitzHenry | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | Elected in 1912. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | John A. Sterling | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1915 – October 17, 1918 | Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Died. | ||||
| Vacant | nowrap | October 17, 1918 – March 3, 1919 | |||||||
| align=left nowrap | Frank L. Smith | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | Elected in 1918. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Frank H. Funk | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1927 | Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Lost renomination. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Homer W. Hall | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Frank Gillespie | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | Elected in 1932. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Leslie C. Arends | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1973 | Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Redistricted to the 15th district. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | George M. O'Brien | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983 | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Redistricted to the . | ||||
Lane Evans | Democratic | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2007 | Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Retired. | 1983–1993 | |||||
| 1993–2003 | |||||||||
| 2003–2013 | |||||||||
| align=left nowrap | Phil Hare | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Bobby Schilling | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | Elected in 2010. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left nowrap | Cheri Bustos | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2023 | Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Retired. | 2013–2023 | |||
| align=left nowrap | Eric Sorensen | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2023 – present | Elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | 2023–present | |||
Since 1982, the representative from this district has hailed from a city within Rock Island, County. From 1982-2013, the district's representatives hailed from Rock Island, these being Lane Evans, Phil Hare, and Bobby Schilling. Since 2013, the district's representatives have hailed from neighboring Moline, and include Cheri Bustos and Eric Sorenson.
See main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012.