Joan talks to Laura Fine, Illinois state senator and Democratic candidate for Congress in the 9th District of Illinois.

On May 6 Fine announced her candidacy for the congressional seat being vacated by Jan Schakowsky, who is retiring at the end of her current term. Fine, who has served in the state legislature since 2013, said that she "started from scratch" in campaign fundraising "because federal and state are two different animals. State money can be used for state and federal fundraising is very different. So I have started from the very beginning, from zero at the federal side, and we are building, building, building. And it's really exciting, because we're gaining a lot of momentum. And so with this momentum, it tells me that there is an incredible group out there that supports me and wants to see me get this race past the finish line."

Fine highlighted her record on health care legislation, pointing in particular to her work on insurance reform. "If you look at how health care and insurance was tilted toward industry when I first came in and my history of legislation and now see how it is all consumer-focused in Illinois, that's a fighter who's willing to stand up to the bullies and win," she told WCPT.

In the Illinois House, Fine chaired the Insurance Committee and now serves as vice chair of the Senate Insurance Committee, a focus she said resulted from a terrible automobile accident her husband had which left the couple with $600,000 in bills "that literally almost bankrupted us when I had two young children."

"So it was daunting," Fine continued. "People who know me know that I'm a pretty calm person, but don't get me angry. So I got angry. And I went back and I actually got licensed in insurance so I could learn more about insurance law. And then it was the perfect storm, where my state senator decided he was going to retire and said, hey, you've been working on these issues; why don't you run for office? And I did. And one of the first committees I sat on was the Insurance Committee, and I realized how strong and powerful the insurance lobby was and made it my mission to make sure that the consumer would come first." She added: "I don't want any other family to experience what my family went through, and I think we can make sure that that does not happen."

Fine's opponents in the 2026 Democratic primary will include social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who preceded Fine in representing both the House and Senate seats she has held.

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