Joan is joined by Patrick Hanley, head of the New Trier Democrats and Democratic candidate for the 9th Illinois State Senate seat (currently held by Laura Fine).

In the interview, Hanley, who announced his candidacy on May 8, said he sees his "role in this as a community organizer, as a civic leader [and] as somebody who cares deeply about our people and about our democracy." He highlighted his commitment to "good public services that are accessible to everybody" and the "need to achieve the green energy transition" in Illinois, "and do it while growing the state." As a candidate Hanley said he plans to host events, town halls and community service activities, and maintain a strong social media presence.

Four months into the second Trump administration, Hanley believes Illinois "is going to become more and more important as the federal government is trapped in gridlock, or worse. And so I see this as a moment for Democrats to redefine our party and reimagine what we expect and what we hope for from the state of Illinois."

He continued: "People should be able to point to us and say, look, they can fight the climate crisis while building data centers and bringing great new jobs, while delivering super high-quality services to people that need them. We need that focus and ambition so that we can draw a clear contrast with states like Florida, where ideologues have taken over the education system, where insurance costs are rising because they haven't dealt with climate change and with the environmental devastation. So we need that to be a clear contrast, so that Democrats can tell a story about what happens when we lead."

Hanley has one challenger, so far, in the 2026 Democratic primary, Rachel O’Konis Ruttenberg, who currently serves as deputy Cook County chief of staff for policy.

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

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