WINNETKA (May 8, 2025)--Environmental leader and grassroots organizer Patrick Hanley announced his candidacy for the Illinois State Senate on Thursday night before a crowd of more than 100 volunteers, friends, elected officials, and family members in his backyard in Winnetka.

Hanley is running on a platform of sustainability and economic growth, arguing that Illinois can show the nation how a state can be fair and prosperous. 

“At a time when the nation is broken and led by breakers, we in Illinois should be builders,” Hanley said at his candidacy announcement. “As a dad of two small boys and as the husband of an immigrant small business owner, I’m running to make sure families like mine see a bright future in our state.”

“With the federal government in shambles, states are on the front lines of democracy and policymaking. Illinois is at a turning point, and we must now show the nation how to reject the false choice between a good economy and a growing economy, between fairness and prosperity. We have an opportunity to build a state that is green and growing,” said Hanley. 

Hanley is running for a seat now held by State Senator Laura Fine, who announced her run for Congress in the 9th Congressional District Tuesday. Hanley is endorsed by retiring Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

“Patrick is exactly the kind of bold, progressive Democratic leader - and fighter - that Illinois needs,” Schakowsky said. “I am proud to enthusiastically endorse Patrick Hanley’s candidacy in Illinois 9th State Senate district.”

Hanley and his wife Jessica are small business owners of Piglet in Bed, the eCommerce bedding and homewares brand. Hanley serves on the Executive Committee of the environmental non-profit Openlands, on the board of Reform for Illinois, and as Chair of the Winnetka Environmental & Forestry Commission.

Hanley plans to run a grassroots campaign, drawing on his background in political organizing. He is President of the New Trier Democrats and co-founder of Operation Swing State, a coalition of Chicago area Democratic organizations that helped send more than 10,000 volunteers into Michigan and Wisconsin to knock doors in the November 2024 general election.

The primary election will take place March 17th, 2026. For more information, visit hanleyforillinois.com

About Patrick Hanley

Patrick Hanley is a civic leader, small business owner, and community organizer in Winnetka, Illinois.

Hanley and his wife, Jessica Hanley, own Piglet in Bed, an eCommerce bedding brand. Hanley is an environmentalist and chairs the Village of Winnetka Environmental & Forestry Commission. Hanley serves on the Executive Committee of Openlands, a leading Chicagoland environmental & conservation organization. He is a member of the Sustainable Local Food Investment Group (SLoFIG). 

Hanley is a civic and political leader. He is President of the New Trier Democrats, the grassroots Democratic organization of New Trier Township. In 2024, he co-founded Operation Swing State, which mobilized 10,000 volunteers to knock a quarter million doors in Michigan and Wisconsin. Hanley has served on the board of Reform for Illinois and on the leadership team of FairVote Illinois, where he advocated for electoral reforms. He is an alumnus of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leaders program and of the New Leaders Council fellowship. Hanley volunteers with Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization. 

Prior to Piglet in Bed, Hanley served in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company, where he advised public sector executives, including state governors. Earlier in his career, Hanley consulted for The Asia Group, counseling business leaders across Asia-Pacific. Hanley holds both M.B.A. & M.P.P. degrees from the University of Chicago. He earned his B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University. 

Hanley was born in Evanston, raised in Northbrook, and has settled in Winnetka with his wife, two small boys, and pup.