Patrick Hanley Projected To Win In Illinois 9th State Senate District Race: Chicago Tribune

WILMETTE, IL — Polls have closed in Illinois, and results are rolling in for the Illinois 9th District race for State Senator.

Democrat Patrick Hanley is leading the polls by a significant margin, with 51,254 votes in Suburban Cook County and 905 in the City of Chicago as of 8:40 p.m. Republican Tom Lally is trailing behind with 107 votes in Chicago and 12,274 in Cook County.

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Both the Chicago Tribune and Fox News Chicago have declared Hanley the projected winner of the night.

The seat has been represented by Sen. Laura Fine since 2019. Fine did not seek reelection this year, instead unsuccessfully running for the 9th Congressional District seat in the March primary.

Patch will update the results throughout the night as votes are tallied. Here are the unofficial vote totals, as of 8:40 p.m.

Illinois' 9th Senate District encompasses part of northern Cook County and includes all or portions of Chicago, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka.

Patrick Hanley

Hanley is campaigning on affordability, healthcare, public education and safety.

Hanley, a small business owner and political organizer, said he was inspired to run as a lifetime resident of the district to preserve stability and opportunities for people who live there.

On his campaign website, Hanley lists priorities that include standing up to President Donald Trump, opposing ICE, supporting clean energy and investing in public education institutions. His platform also includes strengthening gun regulations, protecting the LGBTQ+ community and addressing what he describes as an affordability crisis affecting taxes, utility bills, childcare, housing and healthcare prices.

Tom Lally

North Shore Republican Lally grew up in North Evanston and Wilmette, and attended elementary and high school in Wilmette.

Trump loyalist Lally said he was approached by the Illinois District 9 Organization to represent the Republican Party in spring 2026 and ran unopposed in the primary.

Issues Lally said were important to his campaign were property tax exemptions by income level and age, freezing taxes, reducing state spending, and helping the private sector bring in business and create jobs. He also called for auditing teachers' unions, tying pension rules to student test scores, and allowing parents to attend classes once each semester.

Find all of Illinois Patch's 2026 election coverage here.