State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) announced a bid to represent Illinois’ 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives in a Tuesday morning Facebook post. In the post, Fine pointed to the Trump administration as a motivator to run for Congress in what she called a “critical moment.”
“Our rights and freedoms are under attack by Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Fine wrote in the post. “I’m ready to stand up and fight back.”
Fine’s announcement comes just one day after U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) said she would not seek reelection in 2026. Shortly after, Fine issued a news release commending Schakowsky’s congressional record and committing to “carry her vision forward.”
In her announcement, Fine said her path to state politics began when her husband was in a nearly-fatal car accident and their insurance company denied his care. Fine highlighted her work on expanding mental health care, reducing the costs of prescription drugs and holding insurance companies accountable as a state senator.
“I’ve always put people over special interests, and that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing in Congress,” she wrote in the post.
Fine has represented Illinois’ 9th state senate district, which includes northern suburbs such as Evanston and Glenview, since 2019. She was preceded by Mayor Daniel Biss and currently chairs the Behavioral and Mental Health Committee.
Fine is the first elected official to campaign for the 9th District seat. Also running is 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh, an online personality and former researcher of right-wing media. The Texas native’s campaign has garnered immense online traction, with her original campaign announcement amassing over 13 million views on X.
David Abrevaya and Justin Ford, Chicago Democrats, and Rocio Cleveland, an Island Lake Republican, have also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and launched campaign websites.
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