Patrick Hanley

Patrick Hanley (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 9. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

"I am a small business owner, organizer, and environmental leader. I bring to this race progressive values and proven leadership, as well as entrepreneurial grit and direct experiences implementing policies during crises.

I was born in Evanston and raised in Northbrook & Glenview by a single mom of four kids after my dad died when I was nine. Public schools, parks, library, and safety, paired with social safety net programs afforded my family stability and opportunity now out of reach for too many families in our state.

I spent a decade in D.C., serving in government and supporting U.S. businesses in Asia. I returned home to earn M.P.P. & M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago. During COVID-19, I advised governors and state agencies, helping leaders with intergovernmental cooperation, public health, and communications.

I joined my wife, Jessica, to grow Piglet in Bed, her startup selling linen bedding, pajamas, and homewares. We built the company from a warehouse in Northbrook to three brick and mortar stores and more than 100 employees.

I’ve championed sustainability, native plants, and green energy as environmental chair in my hometown.

Last year, I founded Operation Swing State, mobilizing 10,000+ IL volunteers to knock a quarter million doors in MI & WI.

In 2020, I joined students to lead the largest march for racial justice and solidarity on the North Shore since 1965. I’m now organizing a rapid response team to support neighbors.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Leadership in crisis. Our country is in crisis and Illinois is in the cross-hairs. We need a new generation of public leaders who can write and pass successful policy - but also organize, communicate, advocate, and stand up for our communities. State lawmakers must plan around an irresponsible, reckless, and untrustworthy federal government. We must figure out a way forward - alongside like-minded states - and piece together the essential services - like basic research, science, or weather forecasting - that taxpayers paid for and rely on that Washington no longer provides.Democrats in Illinois must make life easier for working families. Prices are too high across housing, groceries, childcare, elder healthcare, and utilities. As a young dad of two babies, I get the pain and will fight every day to bring costs down. We do that by building more housing, transmission wires, and battery storage. We do it through vigilant oversight and incentivizing healthy competition in healthcare. We do it through spurring job creation and economic development in advanced industries where top Illinois talent and labor will outperform.Democrats must prove that we can deliver on programs we talk about. From healthcare to inclusive economic growth to reproductive freedoms to affordable housing to an ambitious green agenda, Illinois Democrats are working on issues that matter deeply to residents and voters. We need legislators and policymakers who are focused on driving results and ensure those programs are making life materially better and more secure. Illinois should be the envy of the Midwest, and a model state for families to raise and educate kids, for students to learn, for workers to earn, and for seniors to retire.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I care deeply about government delivering for people who need it. I want programs to work. I want resources to help families in need. I want forms and applications and services to be designed with recipients in mind. I believe that policy aspirations most often fail between legislation and implementation - and that rhetoric is worth less than results. I will fight for access and inclusion and connect healthcare with patients, daycare with parents, education with students and families, support systems and resources with individuals in their moments of need - and make sure that our state is serving the people we set out to help.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials are servant leaders in the communities that represent them. Doors must be open to all constituents and communities. Elected leaders convene stakeholders, local officials, residents, and community leaders to address common problems and advocate in Springfield for shared resources.

Elected leaders organize residents and advocates and stakeholders around policymaking, as well as around equitable and accountable implementation.

In recent years, elected leaders also play a vital role in communicating policy and programs across communities and age groups both within the district and beyond.

Perhaps most importantly, elected leaders serve their constituents, acting as a friend, a guide, and a way in to an often overly-complicated and byzantine system of interlocking governmental jurisdictions.

As State Senator, I will be an advocate for more constituents and deliver on promises made by Illinois.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 12 when the towers fell, 14 when we invaded Iraq, 17 when Al Gore shared An Inconvenient Truth, now our most pressing danger, and 20 when the global economy collapsed. My lifetime is witness to the failure of unsustainable policymaking, gridlock, & the narcissism of short-term thinking, which led directly to the election of Donald Trump and our present crisis. That's why my politics are grounded in long-term thinking, sustainability, and good governance -- to overcome and avoid the mistakes of the past and build a lasting future for our kids and grandkids.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Sunset Foods in Northbrook! I lasted two happy years as a grocer, re-stocker, janitor, cart-pusher, and all-around junior employee at my hometown grocery store.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Illinois faces serious fiscal challenges, due to chronic underfunding of state pensions over several decades, and a funding ramp put in place which will dramatically increase state payments in coming years, barring state action. Making matters worse, the federal government has pulled the rug out from under states, removing vital health system funding, education and infrastructure funding, and reneging on grants, programs, and federal initiatives to serve Illinoisans. Illinois must figure out a way to address our fiscal challenges, while delivering high-quality services to residents, supporting public servants who teach and protect us, and addressing the enormous and unprecedented challenges posed by an untrustworthy and lawless federal government.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Relationships are vital - both among stakeholders and between lawmakers. As State Senator, I will seek out relationships of trust, understanding, and mutual respect across the state, to help me - and my colleagues - more effectively craft and pass good policy to support our residents and our state.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

When I knock doors, just about every day, I'm pulled aside and asked "when will Democrats grow a spine and fight back?" I'm running to lead a new generation of Democrats who will do just that.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, State Senators Julie Morrison, Laura Murphy, Adriane Johnson, & Mark Walker, the Evanston Firefighters Local 742, the Ironworkers of Greater Chicago and Vicinity, Niles Township Supervisor Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti, and more than three dozen other local elected officials.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

In 2020 and 2021 I helped state governments navigate COVID-19. In small teams, I worked directly with governors, agency executives, local public health departments, National Guard units, and major city mayors to develop, plan, implement, measure, and iterate on major pandemic response plans, ranging from mass testing to vaccine preparedness and response. I saw firsthand how governments work - and when they fail.