Parts of McHenry County are included in four Illinois State Senate Districts and five State House districts.
McHenry County is sliced and dice into so many different Illinois State Legislative districts that many voters have no idea which ones the reside in or who represents them. We sort things out.
State Representative Races
State Rep District 52
Maria Peterson, a first-generation
Mexican-American, witnessed firsthand how her immigrant parents
transformed their American Dream into reality through hard work
and perseverance. As an attorney, Maria became a trusted
advocate for Latino families facing discrimination, and served with
the U.S. Department of Labor, where she litigated workplace safety
and health violations and stood up for Black Lung victims who were
being denied benefits by the coal mining companies they had
dedicated their lives to serving. She came within 47 votes of winning election last time out against Republican incumbent Martin McLaughlin in one of the most competitive races in the state.
State Rep District 64
Representative A.J. Johnson is from a large Biloxi, Mississippi family with a
long military tradition, AJ Johnson enlisted in the army at the first
opportunity, finishing his career as a top recruiter. Since retiring
from our armed services, he’s brought his leadership skills to
teaching ROTC in Lake County high schools. "Moving past the division of modern politics, he aims to champion practical, high-integrity policies that support education, improve public safety, expand economic opportunities, and enhance veterans' services, ultimately scaling his decades of dedication from the classroom to the entire district." He is challenging incumbent Tom Weber.
State Rep District 66
Suzanne Ness, Democratic incumbent,
was first elected to the Illinois House in 2020, and is now running
for her fourth term. Previously she served as a McHenry County
Board Member. As a State Representative, Suzanne has brought
more than $34 million to the district and has passed 14 bills,
including funding for the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge, eliminating
the need for tolling. She advocates for the needs of her
constituents and supports legislation that has made Illinois a leader
in environmental sustainability, voting rights, and access to
reproductive healthcare. A very popular candidate and daughter of legendary activist and former McHenry County Board member Lou Ness. She faces Republican Laurie Parman
State Rep District 69
Pete Janko is the elected Democratic
State Central Committeeman for Illinois’s 11th Congressional
District, He is known for turning advocacy into results, including
helping secure funding for Rockford passenger rail and paving the
way for the repeal of Illinois’s grocery tax. He’s focused on Illinois
Care, a real-world transition plan for universal healthcare in Illinois
and continuing to use his strong relationships with state and
federal lawmakers to deliver real benefits for Illinois families. As a German-born child refugee, his is acutely aware of Trumpian anti-immigrant hysteria, ICE sweeps, internments, and deportations. Janko has a progressive, independent spirit that is sometimes at odds with regular party leadership. He challenges entrenched Republican Joe Sosnowski
State Rep District 70
Veronica Garcia-Martinez is a
mother of three teenagers, a 5th-grade teacher, a small business
owner, and a long-time resident of DeKalb County. Born in Chicago
and raised in the Pilsen neighborhood, she grew up in an
immigrant household where she learned the true meaning of
community. She spent 17 years in the nonprofit sector and six
years as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dedicating herself
to students and families. Her platform reflects the values she lives
every day - dignity and respect for all, responsible development,
strong communities, and fair democracy. She is running against two term incumbent Jeff Keicher.
State Senate Races
State Senate District 25
Nabeela Syed is State Representative from the 51st district, making history in 2022 as
one of the youngest members ever elected to the Illinois
legislature. Now she wants to step up into the state Senate. She is now running to continue delivering bold,
compassionate and common-sense leadership and has built a
strong record of fighting for working families, focusing on lowering
costs, protecting access to healthcare and delivering real results.
She’s passed legislation to cap prescription drug costs, expand
breast cancer screening, secure paid leave for organ donors and
make voting more accessible to young people. Syed was born and raised in Illinois. Her Muslim parents immigrated to Palatine from India in the 1980s. Suburban and exurban Senate races were typically strictly local, but Syed was out-of-the-gate early with extensive advertising in broader Chicago-area ads running on cable and streaming platforms. She is running against incumbent State Senator Darby Hills.
State Senate District 32
Karen Battaglia is a
longtime emergency and trauma nurse, healthcare leader, and
advocate for working families. She is the incoming President of the
Illinois Emergency Nurses Association and has served for more
than a decade on the Illinois ENA Government Affairs Committee,
advocating for nursing and healthcare policy at both the state and
federal levels. She is running for State Senate to fight for affordable
and accessible healthcare at every stage of life, an economy that
works for working families, and safe communities and workplaces. She has a heavy social media presence and is strongly supported in the medical community. She faces incumbent Craig Wilcox who has been flooding the district with Direct Mail for months. A high-profile race that has received wide interest.
State Senate District 33
Michele Clark is well-known in McHenry
County as the proud owner of a large early child learning center,
Michele later served as Chief Operating Officer of the Boys and
Girls Club of Dundee Township during the COVID-19 pandemic—
overseeing a multimillion-dollar budget and leading through a most
difficult time for families and kids in our community. Today she
serves as Director of Development for the District 300 Food Pantry,
working to ensure that no children in our district go hungry. She
brings nonprofit experience, business background, and passion for
service—all in support of the next generation. She is running against first-time candidate Danielle Penman.
State Senate District 35
Sarah Mertens is one of six kids from a
working-class union household, Sarah acquired her work ethic early
on, babysitting from a young age, working from the moment she
turned 16, putting herself through college via jobs and loans.
Holding a degree in education, with a specialization in teaching
German, she’s taught English as a second language. She has also
worked in health care administration and on the rollout of the
Affordable Care Act. A working mom, in Springfield she plans to be
a strong advocate for affordable housing and protecting our civil
rights. She faces incumbent Dave Syverson.
Also on the Ballot
Vote NO on the four judges up for “judicial retention”: They’re all deep Red. It’s time for some competitive elections.
Vote NO on the two referendums: They’re just “advisory”, but we want a resounding No to both. One of them asks whether McHenry County should become a “Home Rule” county. Which among other things would remove the requirement that limits the degree to which property taxes can be raised. Cynics would say that the only reason the R’s put this one on the ballot, would be to gin up the turnout of their base. Whatever. It’s a terrible idea. The other asks whether state laws should be repealed that restrict the ability of county governments to say no to renewable energy installations such as solar, wind and battery storage. Conveniently forgetting that the only reason such state laws were passed in the first place, is because of reactionary Republican county governments never approving any such facility. Why would they do that? "Because Emperor Don is in league with the oil companies and will do anything to kill renewable energy."
