Retired Judge Joe McGraw to challenge Eric Sorensen for Congress

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD  — Retired Circuit Judge Joe McGraw, a former chief judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit, announced on Wednesday that he will run for Congress in the 17th District.

McGraw, a Republican, will challenge Democrat Eric Sorensen, a former TV meteorologist who won the House seat in November 2022.

“I’ve dedicated my life to law and order and serving the people of Illinois. I can no longer sit by and watch our country and our state go in the wrong direction,” McGraw said in a news release. “There’s something wrong when big-city liberals would rather demonize honest cops than crack down on criminals, when politicians in Washington care more about illegal immigrants than the safety and security of our own citizens, and when the exporting of good manufacturing jobs, combined with record inflation, crushes families’ economic viability.”

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McGraw, who retired in July after more than 21 years as a judge, also worked as a prosecutor and private attorney. In a news release announcing his candidacy, he says that he has dedicated his life to fighting crime because he knows soft-on-crime policies only create more victims. He said he his a man of faith who has always lived by a strict code of ethics.

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McGraw said that Democrats’ “reckless spending agenda” has driven inflation and crushed family budgets. He promised to strive to bring manufacturing jobs home.

“Eric Sorensen is part of the problem; he votes with Biden’s failed agenda nearly 100% of the time,” McGraw said. “In Congress, I’ll fight for our hardworking families and stand up to the out-of-touch Biden agenda.”

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McGraw said that he’ll work to end corruption by banning politicians from becoming lobbyists. He said he’ll also ensure that Congress passes a balanced budget before they get paid.

McGraw and his wife, Gail, live in Rockford, where they raised their five children: Kathleen, Elizabeth, Victoria, Margaret and Joseph.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas