Patrick Hanley is a small business owner, environmental leader, and organizer...

Patrick is a proven leader, who has fought for the green transition, migrants, & justice.

Patrick Hanley is a son of the 9th District, born in Evanston and raised in Northbrook and Glenview by a single mom of four kids after his father died when he was nine. Public schools, public parks, the public library, and public safety, paired with social safety net programs and student loans afforded the Hanleys stability and opportunity now out of reach for too many families in Illinois and across the District.

Patrick spent a decade in Washington D.C., serving in the U.S. Senate and Department of Justice before joining The Asia Group, where he advised U.S. businesses in Asia-Pacific. Patrick traveled regularly to China, Southeast Asia, and India, spending a year in Hong Kong, where he established a small financial services firm. During that time, he took a leave of absence to organize on the Obama campaign in Virginia.

At UChicago, Patrick founded the Prairie State Society, focusing on Illinois issues and hosting state legislators

He returned home to earn Master's degrees in Public Policy and Business Administration from the University of Chicago and volunteer in Northbrook to build the local Democratic Party and advocate for working families.

As a management consultant, Patrick spent the pandemic counseling state governors and state agencies, where he helped leaders innovate around intergovernmental cooperation, public health coordination, and public communications.

Patrick married Jessica in their living room with her British family tuning in on Zoom

Patrick met his wife, Jessica, in Lebanon in 2011. Almost a decade later, they reconnected over WhatsApp, met up in Italy, and decided to move in together in Chicago. Jessica is a visionary entrepreneur and in 2022, Patrick left consulting to join Jessica and help her build Piglet in Bed from a warehouse in Northbrook and a small team to become a leading international homewares and bedding brand with three brick and mortar stores and a hundred employees.

In Winnetka, Patrick has championed sustainability, green energy, and green infrastructure as Chair of the Environmental & Forest Commission. He joined the board and Executive Committee of Openlands. Patrick is a member of the Sustainable Local Food Investment Group and has supported agroforestry and grocery coop businesses.

Patrick is an experienced advocate and organizer, building the New Trier Democrats into a leading regional party. In 2020, Patrick joined together with local students to lead the largest march for justice and solidarity on the North Shore since 1965. In 2024, Patrick founded the Winnetka Future Energy Coalition, which advocates for clean and renewable energy.

In 2024, Patrick co-founded and led Operation Swing State, alongside Ben Head, Congresswoman Schakowsky, and Toni Preckwinkle. Operation Swing State mobilized ten thousand Illinois volunteers to knock a quarter million doors in Michigan and Wisconsin, helping elect two U.S. Senators.

Jessica and Patrick are raising two small boys, Max and Jack, and a beloved porty, Henry. They haven't slept in several years.