A Rockford Democrat running against U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District primary has officially been removed from the ballot, leaving Sorensen without a primary challenger as he seeks a third term.

The Illinois State Board of Elections on Wednesday upheld an objection to Montez Soliz’s candidate petition and officially removed him from the ballot.

Soliz filed his nomination papers Oct. 27. A Peoria resident filed an objection to Soliz’s candidacy Nov. 10, reportedly claiming Soliz’s petitions were not properly notarized and that several signatures were from people who either were not registered to vote at the listed address or by people who resided outside of the 17th District.

Soliz, in a Dec. 9 Facebook post, wrote that he had been removed from the ballot. That removal, however, did not become official until Illinois’ State Officers Electoral Board began meeting Wednesday to discuss objections to 2026 general primary election candidates’ campaigns, including the one filed against Soliz.

Thursday, Jan. 8, is the last day for the election board to certify the names of candidates for the general primary election ballot to county clerks.

Thursday also marked the last day a candidate can file a withdrawal of candidacy to the State Board of Elections Office, is the last day for circuit court clerks and local elections officials to certify any binding public question or advisory referendums to the election authority having jurisdiction over the political subdivision and the last day for county clerks to certify to board of election commissioners any referendum questions to be submitted to the voters in a jurisdiction.

Illinois’ 17th Congressional District spans central and northwestern Illinois and encompasses all of Carroll, Rock Island, Whiteside and Knox counties, and parts of Mercer, Stephenson, Tazewell, McLean, Fulton, Peoria, Henry, Warren and McDonough counties. It is anchored by Rockford in the north and Bloomington-Normal to the south and includes Peoria and the Illinois side of the Quad-City region, which includes Rock Island, Moline and East Moline.

Illinois’ general primary election will be on March 17. Julie Bickelhaupt and Dillan Vancil are candidates on the Republican primary ticket.