GOP businessman from Galesburg to challenge freshman Sorensen in Illinois’ 17th

A Republican businessman and philanthropist from Galesburg will challenge the 17th District’s freshman congressman in November 2024.

Rafael “Ray” Estrada, 56, said he plans to tackle U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, a former TV weatherman who took over the seat formerly held by fellow Democrat Cheri Bustos after beating GOP challenger Esther Joy King in 2022.

Earlier this month, the National Republican Campaign Committee announced its plans to put a bullseye on Sorensen and 36 other “vulnerable” Democrats, Politico reported. Rumors that Estrada might run surfaced about the same time.

“Ordinary families are struggling to make ends meet, government policies and regulations are limiting our opportunities to get ahead, and domestic and international extremists and adversaries are using our pain to divide us, undermine our institutions, and advance their own radical agendas,” Estrada said in a news release announcing his candidacy.

Estrada, whose family fled civil war Nicaragua 44 years ago when he was 12, is president of the nonprofit Estrada Global Foundation, “which provides aid to refugees and displaced citizens through direct assistance that helps provide for their basic needs and safety.” according to the release.

“I am running for Congress because I know how important freedom and the American Dream are. I will fight to provide relief and opportunity for our families and those in need.”

He’s running on a platform of “creating financial security for our families; to build safer communities and secure our country and its borders; to stand up to domestic and international bullies; to rebuild our core institutions; and to ensure our kids and grandkids have the same opportunities and values we were raised with.” His foundation has given aid in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Spain, and war-torn Ukraine, and also has provided more than 500,000 meals to needy families in western Illinois, according to the release.

Estrada was chief of the Knox County Sheriff’s Auxiliary Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Augustana College and a master’s in business administration from North Park University in Chicago.

He and his wife, Amy, have four children and are members of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Galesburg.

The 17th District includes most of northwestern Illinois, including Whiteside and Carroll counties, as well as parts of Rockford and Peoria.

for information, go to www.RayEstradaForCongress.com.