Esther Joy King will bring an entire lifetime of experience and the importance of helping others if she is elected to the 17th Congressional District of Illinois.

Her parents were missionaries on the US-Mexico border. When she was 8 years old she spoke to crowds of 8,000 about God. She helped build schools for poor children. From the age of 3 until she left for college at age 18, Esther was an American growing up in the border towns of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.

“I consider it to be a gift to have been raised that way,” Esther says. “It gave me the capacity and skill set to live an empathetic life. When you spend your childhood stepping into different cultures and stepping into other people’s shoes, you learn that’s what life is about. It’s the best way to connect with people and make a difference in the world.”

After earning a marketing degree in college, Esther spent time in Kabul, Afghanistan, serving as an aid worker. Upon returning to the United States, Esther’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish a marketing firm where she learned firsthand about creating jobs and opportunity. She studied law at Northwestern School of Law and earned a JD and a Master's of Law in Taxation.

After earning her degrees, Esther began her legal career with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, in Chicago and later had the opportunity to serve the State of Illinois in the Office of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology.

Wanting to serve her nation, Esther joined the U.S. Army Reserve as a member of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps where she was recently promoted captain.

Esther’s experiences help her understand the struggles of making ends meet. She recently stated “Professional politicians like to pretend they built America, but we know that real people built America with hard work and a burst of freedom.” It is this ethic Esther will take with her if she is elected to Congress.

Esther is a member of Republican Women of Rock Island County. Check out her website or Facebook page for more information.