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“Eric Sorensen has been looking out for his community’s safety for decades, first by educating and informing them about severe weather and now by investing in local law enforcement, protecting reproductive freedom, and helping working families get ahead. While Eric is a trusted neighbor and bipartisan leader who is delivering real results for Illinois, Joe McGraw has a record of failing to protect families and their freedoms. Voters trust Eric Sorensen, which is why they will resoundingly re-elect him in November,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Mallory Payne, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: March 19, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Joe McGraw
Voters in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District will have a clear choice in November between Eric Sorensen, a proven leader who has kept Illinois families safe, and Joe McGraw, Washington Republicans’ hand-picked candidate who was plucked from outside the district to be their puppet in DC.
Born and raised in Rockford, Eric has dedicated his career to serving Illinois communities, earning their trust as a meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly two decades and keeping them safe from extreme weather.
Despite the GOP House majority’s chaos and gridlock, Eric has remained a results-oriented, common sense leader in Congress who has worked with Republicans and Democrats alike to get things done – introducing bipartisan legislation to support Illinois farmers and combat extreme weather, crack down on robocalls, and improve high-speed internet in rural communities. Eric is also leading the charge to lower prescription drug costs and protect abortion access amid the most dangerous attacks on reproductive freedom we’ve seen in five decades. And Eric has delivered results, returning $130 million in federal funding to Illinois to fund local police, deliver clean drinking water, and repair roads and bridges.
While Eric consistently delivers for the communities he’s lived in his whole life, Joe McGraw has spent his career making those communities less safe. As a judge, he put dangerous criminals back on the street, while minors were disturbingly mistreated at the Winnebago Juvenile Detention Center, which was under his court’s supervision.
In just the few months he’s been in the race, McGraw has made it clear he’s not just a threat to Illinoisans’ safety; he’s also a threat to their freedoms and democracy. McGraw has quickly embraced the most extreme members of his party, taking hundreds of thousands from far-right radicals who have undermined our free and fair elections and pushed for a national abortion ban with no exceptions, which would nullify Illinois’ abortion protections.
Eric Sorensen’s proven record of protecting Illinois families and delivering real results will ensure he keeps this seat blue in November.
Joe McGraw Isn’t Protecting Illinois Families
While Joe McGraw is centering his campaign on public safety and claiming he’ll never stop fighting for “safe neighborhoods,” his record shows he’s done the complete opposite and made them less safe.
As a judge, McGraw repeatedly signed off on reduced sentences for murderers and sexual abusers, putting dangerous criminals back on the street. In one instance, a man arrested for murdering a 19-year-old woman was let out on bail, thanks to McGraw significantly lowering the bail from $5 million to $50,000. In another case, McGraw let a murder suspect out of custody, despite prosecutors’ warning he was a flight risk. Another man found guilty of sexual abuse – which is punishable by up to three years in prison – was sentenced by McGraw to just 90 days of periodic imprisonment. McGraw also oversaw a case of a woman he convicted of child endangerment and “involuntary manslaughter” after her infant starved to death. Ignoring the prosecutors’ suggestion of 22 years in prison and finding her not guilty of murder, McGraw chose to sentence the woman to just four years of probation.
While McGraw had no problem letting dangerous criminals off the hook, he showed no concern for the detained minors who were alarmingly mistreated while under his court’s supervision. For years, McGraw’s court oversaw the Winnebago Juvenile Detention Center, which investigations revealed had a concerning pattern of overcrowding and confinement – problems that spiraled out of control and still persist today.
Under the supervision of McGraw’s court, kids were confined to their closet-sized rooms for up to 23 hours of the day. The juvenile detention center was often overcapacity, forcing minors to sleep on mattresses in the gymnasium or common areas. Overcrowding also led to limited access to education, recreational activities and even critical group sessions on problem solving and coping skills.
This disturbing mistreatment of minors under McGraw’s court alongside his blatant record of habitually reducing sentences for violent and dangerous criminals makes clear he has failed to protect Illinois families and he can’t be trusted to protect them in Congress either.
Joe McGraw Stands With MAGA Extremists, Not Illinois
It’s not just Illinois’ safety at risk with McGraw in office. McGraw won’t protect democracy or freedoms either. McGraw has taken over $70,000 from the most extreme members of his party who threatened our democracy and voted to overturn a free and fair election.
As his party relentlessly pushes for a national abortion ban, McGraw will no doubt fall in line and embrace their dangerous anti-choice efforts. He’s already backed by anti-abortion extremists, cozying up to them on the campaign trail and taking more than $100,000 from politicians who co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act – a total national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the woman’s life that would also effectively ban IVF. McGraw even attended an event sponsored by a crisis pregnancy center – which front as medical clinics but in reality are often led by anti-choice groups that attempt to coerce and manipulate pregnant women seeking care.
Unlike McGraw, Eric Sorensen is in lockstep with Illinois about protecting reproductive freedoms.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
WREX: Suspect in Tammy Tracey murder released after judge lowers bond [WREX, 4/1/22]
HuffPost: The GOP’s ‘Spectacular’ Recruits To Run For The House Are Flailing Financially [HuffPost, 2/27/24]
“Unsurprisingly, several of the dozen ‘top GOP recruits’ have faced difficulties in raising money. In Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, Republican challenger Joe McGraw had raised only $220,763 through December, compared with incumbent Rep. Eric Sorensen’s (D-Ill.) $2.097 million. The cash-on-hand difference was $1.413 million.”
25News Now: U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen announces funding of over $130k to reduce crime in Central Illinois [25News Now, 10/5/23]
WMOI: Sorensen Announces Funding to Support Police in Western Illinois [WMOI, 10/30/23]
Shaw Local: Sorensen announces funding to lower energy costs for small and rural businesses [Shaw Local, 10/1/23]
Shaw Local: U.S. Rep. Sorensen introduces bill to help lower drug prices [Shaw Local, 5/12/23]
The Pantagraph: Congressman Eric Sorensen announces investments for Central Illinois infrastructure projects [The Pantagraph, 7/20/23]
PATH TO VICTORY
Illinois’ 17th Congressional District is the most competitive congressional district in the state, but after a career of serving his community and keeping people informed through various weather events, Eric is no stranger to tough fights. In 2022, he successfully won by the same 4-point margin Cheri Bustos had two years earlier.
As a younger and more diverse electorate heads to the polls this November, the choice between Sorensen, who has spent his career keeping people safe and informed, and McGraw, who has repeatedly risked putting local communities in danger, could not be more clear and that’s why voters will send Sorensen back to Congress this fall.
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