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Rachel Ruttenberg
Rachel Ruttenberg (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 9. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 17, 2026.[source]
Ruttenberg completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rachel Ruttenberg earned a high school diploma from Buffalo Grove High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a graduate degree from Northwestern University, and a law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Her career experience includes working as a lawyer and nonprofit leader.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 9
Patrick Hanley and Rachel Ruttenberg are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 9 on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Patrick Hanley | ||
 | Rachel Ruttenberg  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
To view Ruttenberg's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rachel Ruttenberg completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ruttenberg's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- I have the experience needed - on day one - to protect Illinois and fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to strip away funding for essential services and threaten civil rights and liberties.
- I envision an economy that works for all Illinoisans, where no resident needs to struggle to meet basic needs. I will support policies that will make housing and goods more affordable.
- As an advocate and policy advisor, I led efforts to protect and expand access to quality health care, including for mental and behavioral health, in Illinois. With medical costs soaring and federal cuts looming, I will continue to advocate for inclusive, equitable policies and resist efforts to restrict coverage.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 12, 2025
