
A Monmouth businessman has announced he is launching a campaign for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.
Dillan Vancil, who owns six Dame Fine Coffee shops, including ones in Monmouth and Galesburg, will have an official launch event at 5 p.m. Sunday at The Vault, 185 S. Kellogg St. in Galesburg. He will campaign as a Republican candidate for the office currently occupied by Eric Sorensen, a Democrat from Moline.
Sorensen earned his second term in Congress by defeating Joe McGraw this past November.
Born in Monmouth and a graduate of West Central High School, Vancil worked as a railroad engineer and served as the state legislative director for the United Transportation Union (UTU) for four years before launching his coffee shop business.
Vancil said he’s running for Congress “to restore our families, rebuild our communities, and bring back common sense.”
According to his official campaign website, Vancil says, “I’m running for Congress because I believe it’s time to restore leadership grounded in common sense, integrity, and accountability. Too often, the government has strayed from its purpose: serving the people. Illinois families are struggling under unsustainable policies, economic stagnation, and a federal government disconnected from our daily lives. I’m ready to change that.”
The next election for Illinois Congress will be Tuesday, November 3, 2026.