7th Generation Farmer and Community Leader Standing Up for Families Forgotten by D.C.
Julie Bickelhaupt, a lifelong Illinoisan, farmer, mother, and community leader, announced her candidacy for Congress in Illinois’ 17th District.
“My family has farmed here for seven generations, and we’re not about to give up because radical politicians like Eric Sorensen would rather chase extreme agendas than deliver for working families,” said Julie Bickelhaupt. “Families here are being crushed by rising costs, unsafe streets, and politicians in Washington who put their radical agendas ahead of our interests. I’ll fight to lower costs on everything from energy to health care, defend our jobs, and make sure Illinois families have a fair shot at a better life.”
Julie farms alongside her husband and adult children near Mount Carroll, where the Bickelhaupt family runs a seventh-generation purebred Hereford cattle and grain operation. Raised on a farm in Greenville and a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Julie has lived the values of hard work, family, and community her entire life. In addition to farming, she manages HR for her family’s insurance business.
Bickelhaupt offers a sharp contrast with politician Eric Sorensen, a former weatherman.
“Eric Sorensen is everything wrong with politics today,” Bickelhaupt said. “He’s embraced extreme policies and pandering political theater, while families here are just trying to pay the bills. He doesn’t fight for farmers. He doesn’t fight for working families. He doesn’t fight for Illinois. If not for political insiders giving him a gerrymandered district, he wouldn’t even be in office. I intend to change that.
“While Eric Sorensen was reading the weather on TV, I was raising cattle, working the land, and keeping a family business afloat. That’s the difference between us,” she added.
Bickelhaupt’s campaign will center on three top priorities: tackling the rising cost of living that burdens working families, protecting agriculture as Illinois’ leading economic driver, and strengthening education by empowering parents, expanding opportunities for choice, and ensuring every community has strong public schools.
As Chairperson of the Carroll County Board and a lifelong advocate for her community, Bickelhaupt has shown that leadership means solving problems, not playing games. At a me when many are disheartened by the dysfunction in Washington, she offers a fresh, grounded alternative, someone who will stand up for working families, focus on results, and fight to give people a reason to believe in their future again.
***Courtesy of Julie Bickelhaupt***
