Esther Joy King won her Republican Primary in the Illinois 17th District U. S. House race with 68% of the vote defeating Charlie Helmick who received 32% of votes cast in the two person contest.
In a press release put out by King she said, “It is truly the honor of my lifetime to run to represent the people of this congressional district, but it’s not over yet. We have a major fight ahead of us–a fight to ensure people can fill their gas tanks and grocery carts without dipping into their rent money or retirement savings. It doesn’t have to be a choice if we elect leaders who will put their constituents first rather than far-left, out-of-touch policies and that’s exactly what I’m running to do. Let’s come together to win this in November.”
Helmick addressed his supporters on Facebook stating, “To all who supported my run for the U.S. House here in the 17th Illinois District, I thank you sincerely with all my heart. I knew it was going to be an uphill fight from the start but felt it was needed to bring real representation to our home. My family supported me and I am blessed to have so many great new friends! Know that I’m not done trying to serve the people, and we will see what happens after November. Thank you and God bless.”
The 17th U. S. House District stretches west from Bloomington-Normal to Macomb and Peoria then north to Galesburg and the Quad Cities area then back east to Rockford.
According to King’s website, “Esther is an entrepreneur and practices law in East Moline focusing on real estate for economic development. Esther understands the genuine struggles of making ends meet in the face of a slow economy and dysfunctional government. One of the main drivers of her run for Congress is growing economic opportunities for the people of central and Western Illinois.”
King prioritizes the agriculture economy. Her website says, “Agriculture is the heart of the Illinois 17th District, the proud home to thousands of farms. Esther is proud to stand up for our family farms and will fight for farmers when elected to Congress. The agribusiness economy is the economic engine that drives our state, with farmers adding huge value to our economy. We must make it possible for the next generation of farmers to be competitive by ensuring access to existing markets and creating new markets for our exports. By passing reasonable long-term farm bills, ensuring access to reliable crop insurance, and promoting new technologies and opportunities, we can ensure that future generations are excited about their prospects in the agribusiness economy.”
King believes American workers are the best workers in the world. She feels our country suffers from unfair trade and labor practices that stifle growth onshore and send jobs overseas. King believes we need financial policies and trade practices that create American jobs.
King would like to see less partisanship and politicking with Democrats and Republicans working together. She believes in finding ways to ensure that the needs of the Illinois 17th district come first, before party, before politics, and before special interests,
Conversely Helmick criticized King on June 24th asserting on his Facebook page that, “LIZ CHENEY IS FRIENDS WITH ESTHER JOY KING AND ENDORSED HER CAMPAIGN. BOTH ARE TRUMP HATING DEMOCRAT RINOs!”
On June 21st Helmick posted the following regarding King on Facebook, “Yesterday was sad day in Illinois because the one man that could of saved our country from Biden and the Democrats, Mike Pence the sellout RINO that stabbed President Trump in the back came here to endorse Esther Joy King and Darin LaHood.”
On June 18th Helmick connected King to other Republicans he deems RINO’s (Republicans in name only) posting this to Facebook, “My opponent Esther JOY KING is supported by RINO ADAM KINZINGER. She is endorsed by Trump haters Liz Cheney and Dan Crenshaw. All three are supporting the January 6th hearings and investigations on President Trump and his supporters. A vote for King is replacing KINZINGER with another RINO in Congress!”
Helmick’s attacks didn’t work.
King won the Republican Primary by a two to one landslide and moves on to face Democrat Eric Sorensen in the General Election on November 8.
