The 17th Congressional District, which covers much of northwestern and central Illinois, is getting a lot of attention nationwide. Retired Judge Joe McGraw is trying to unseat former weatherman Eric Sorenson in a race that many believe will go down to the wire. 

“The voters will see the stark contrast between law and order, and a completed border wall, and protecting people and a stable economy,” McGraw said after winning the Republican nomination. 

Sorenson recently held a telephone town hall and said he wants to lower prices at the grocery store.

“We need to be doing more to bring farmers’ goods to produce sections at the local grocery stores to lower food costs,” said Sorenson.  

In the 13th Congressional District, Republican Joshua Loyd, an Army veteran, is running against Democratic incumbent Nikki Budzinski.

Statehouse Democrats crafted the 13th District to snake through Illinois from the southwest to include parts of the Metro East then north up to Springfield and east to parts of Decatur and Champaign. Budzinski won the newly drawn district in 2022.

Loyd, who trails Budzinski in fundraising by a wide margin, is running a television ad that points out that elected representatives are not helping constituents.

“I’m not concerned at all with the finances because I’m actually out there talking with individuals,” Loyd said on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “This is not necessarily a money game.” 

Budzinski recently told PBS that the issues in her district mirror those of the Midwest.

“It’s about job creation, it’s about economic development, it’s about investing in some of our underserved communities, it’s about investing in education,” said Budzinski.

Election Day is Nov. 5.