“These are exactly what we mean when we talk about the ‘politics of the past,'” Hanley, who also serves as president of the New Trier Democrats, said. “Straight out of the Madigan playbook.”

Ultimately, Hanley, who was raised in Northbrook and Glenview, holds a slight edge due to his extensive experience at the federal level and his work with governors on the 2024 Operation Swing State. He has also maintained a more consistent and visible presence in the district throughout the campaign season.

— State Senate race: Democrat Patrick Hanley is out with a new ad in the Democratic primary to fill the seat now held by Laura Fine. Watch here

"We are up against real fascism in Washington, D.C. The Democratic Party, which is the institution that can defeat it, has never been less popular. And so it is clear to me that we need new leaders."

"A pension is a promise. Public servants accepted lower wages in exchange for retirement security, and they kept their end of the bargain, paying into pension plans as politicians took pension holidays.

"Our present crisis was created by politicians who took “pension holidays” for decades as costs compounded. We cannot balance politicians’ greed on the backs of our teachers, firefighters, or sanitation workers."

Democrat Patrick Hanley was endorsed by Run for Something, a national group that supports progressives, in his bid for the 9th District seat.

Hanley holds board positions on several local nonprofits and has led community organizing efforts. He co-founded the voting advocacy program Operation Swing State with [Cook County Board of Commissioners president Toni] Preckwinkle and outgoing U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston).

Both candidates are too far to the progressive left for our liking, but Hanley articulated a thoughtful approach to the need to expand housing development and signaled an openness to thoughtful spending efficiencies that earned our appreciation.

Hanley is endorsed.

Hanley has attracted support from a wide coalition, support that appears grounded in outreach, experience and engagement.

Campaign Press Release

Campaign Press Release

"During Operation Midway Blitz last fall, unprovoked violence by CBP and ICE was rampant — and often captured on video. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis cataloged this misconduct in an extensive written opinion. Yet we saw no state prosecutions to protect the public from federal agents, who operated here with impunity — and then moved on to Minneapolis, emboldened."

IFT also announced that it would endorse Democrats Patrick Hanley for Illinois Senate and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for U.S. Senate.

Northfield Township Democrats filled the council chambers at Glenview Village Hall on Sunday (Feb. 1) for an endorsement session backing a full slate of candidates, ranging from U.S. senator to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

Candidates were selected based on their sexual and reproductive health care policies and their commitment to protecting the health and rights of all Illinoisans.

Hanley said his campaign would not take “corporate PAC money.” He said he viewed such large contributions as flaws in the statewide campaign finance system. 

“Folks realize that the system’s broken,” Hanley said. “We’ll continue to raise money in our grassroots way from individual donors.” 

Campaign Press Release

"The fight is real and the stakes couldn't be higher. I think that the locust of activity is moving from Washington, D.C. to Springfield and to the states, where we can do the most good and protect Illinoisans from the federal government."

Meanwhile, Hanley’s fourth quarter fundraising primarily came from individual donors, but he also received some large donations from regional trade unions: the political fund of Iron Workers Local 1 gave him $5,000 on Dec. 4, and the PAC for the Ironworkers District Council of Chicago & Vicinity gave $20,000 on Dec. 8.

Hanley, a community organizer from Winnetka who’s endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky and the Illinois AFL-CIO, raised just under $66,000 to close out 2025, a fundraising haul that included a $20,000 contribution from the Ironworkers District Council of Chicago PAC, also in mid-December.

Patrick Hanley with supporters as he announced a run for state office. | Photo by Joe Coughlin

The group is also backing Patrick Hanley of Winnetka to succeed current state Sen. Laura Fine (D-9th District), who is giving up her seat to also run for 9th Congressional District seat.

Campaign Press Release

In the race for State Senate, the Illinois AFL-CIO backed Patrick Hanley of Winnetka, who told Evanston Now in a phone call Tuesday he was “so proud and delighted” to earn the group’s endorsement.

Local organizers are also using the quieter period to regroup and digest what they learned from their collective encounters with federal agents, according to Patrick Hanley, a Winnetka resident and candidate for the Illinois Senate who helped form a local rapid-response group amid ICE activity in October.

Hanley echoed that canvassing and attending events like Sunday’s provide an important vehicle to show voters in the district’s many different communities that they are seen and valued. He noted his campaign literature has been printed in both Hebrew and Assyrian. 

State Senate candidate Patrick Hanley of Winnetka raised over $67,000 in the third quarter of 2025, more than twice as much as his opponent, Rachel Ruttenberg of Evanston.

Winnetka’s Patrick Hanley officially launched his campaign to replace State Sen. Laura Fine in Springfield Tuesday evening with a large crowd of supporters at Sketchbook Brewing Co. in Skokie.

Hanley, an environmental activist, business owner and political organizer who co-founded Operation Swing State last year, announced Tuesday night his name will officially be on next March’s ballot after receiving enough signatures exactly one week after petitioning kicked off.

“The price of renewable power is coming down. So for us to lock ourselves into a predominantly coal power purchasing agreement for 30 years, I think it’s a mistake,” said Patrick Hanley, a state Senate candidate and former member of the Winnetka Environment Board, ahead of the meeting. “And as a young person living in Winnetka, it’s a mistake that I’m going to have to deal with.”

Winnetka environmentalist Patrick Hanley spoke out about the urgency of looming crises, criticizing the current political climate and focusing on sustainability. “There’s nothing sustainable about a president with unchecked power,” he said.

Radio interview on WCPT 820

The Daily Northwestern

Campaign Press Release

Radio interview on WCPT 820

Campaign Press Release

The Record North Shore

Journal & Topics

Evanston Now