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Matthew Conroy

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Matthew Conroy
Elections and appointments
Last election
March 17, 2026
Education
High school
Xavier High School
Bachelor's
Northeastern University, 2011
Personal
Birthplace
New York, NY
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Education specialist
Contact

Matthew Conroy (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 5th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.

Conroy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Matthew Conroy was born in New York, New York. Conroy earned a high school diploma from Xavier High School and a bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in 2011. His career experience includes working as an education specialist.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois' 5th Congressional District election, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 5

Incumbent Mike Quigley (D) and Tom Hanson (R) are running in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 5 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley (D)
Image of Tom Hanson
Tom Hanson (R)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 5

Incumbent Mike Quigley (D) defeated Matthew Conroy (D), Ellen Corley (D), and Anthony Michael Tamez (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 5 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley
 
65.5
 
65,965
Image of Matthew Conroy
Matthew Conroy  Candidate Connection
 
24.2
 
24,396
Image of Ellen Corley
Ellen Corley  Candidate Connection
 
7.4
 
7,451
Image of Anthony Michael Tamez
Anthony Michael Tamez
 
2.9
 
2,889

Total votes: 100,701
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 5

Tom Hanson (R) defeated Barry Wicker (R) and Kimball Ladien (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 5 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Hanson
Tom Hanson
 
71.9
 
10,466
Image of Barry Wicker
Barry Wicker
 
16.7
 
2,436
Kimball Ladien
 
11.3
 
1,649

Total votes: 14,551
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Conroy received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

  • Girl, I Guess: A Progressive Voter Guide to the 2026 Primary Election (Sway viewpoint group by Girl, I Guess)
  • Jenna J's Voting Guide (Sway viewpoint group by Jenna Jozefowski)
  • Megan Thuy's Voting Guide for the Cool Kids (Sway viewpoint group by Megan Thuy)
  • Qasim Rashid's Voting Group (Sway viewpoint group by Qasim Rashid)
  • Simon Says Voters (Sway viewpoint group by SimonSaysVote)
  • Track AIPAC
  • buildtomorrow.chi (Sway viewpoint group by buildtomorrow.chi)

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Matthew Conroy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Conroy's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a lifelong advocate for putting others ahead of yourself, something our elected officials have ignored or forgotten. I have spent over a decade working in roles where success wasn't measured by sales quotas or fundraising goals, but rather by the success, growth, and development of others.

I grew up up in Brooklyn, NY. My mother was a single mom, left to raise 4 children all by herself after my dad was killed in the September 11th attacks. That taught me the importance of hard work and self-sacrifice, something that seems to be missing in our elected officials today.

Since graduating college with a degree in economics, I've worked in roles and finance, real estate, tech, and manufacturing.
Housing, Healthcare, Transportation (mainly rail including subways, regional, Amtrak, and high-speed rail), and Social Security.
The core responsibility of someone elected to this office is to be a true representative—someone who fights every day to make people’s lives easier and more secure. That means expanding access to healthcare, tackling the housing crisis, strengthening Social Security, and passing policies like universal childcare and paid family leave. In short, it means advancing solutions that improve quality of life for as many people as possible.

Another core responsibility is to reject the grip of big money and special interests that have taken over our elections and distorted our political system. That influence fuels gridlock and prevents progress on the issues everyday Americans—across party lines—actually care about. Our current representative has failed to stand up to that system, and that failure is one of the reasons this district deserves new leadership.

But ultimately, the most important responsibility of this office is to put people ahead of personal ambition. We need leaders who aren’t focused on their next career move or their next election, but on the real work of governing. Leaders whose sole purpose is to improve the lives of the people they serve.
I want my legacy to be defined not by a single bill or political victory, but by who I was and how I showed up for people. I want to be remembered as someone who spoke up for those who needed it most, who stepped in to help whenever I could, and who stood firmly by my convictions—even when it meant refusing to please everyone.

I hope people remember that my heart was always in the right place, that I tried to do the right thing even when it wasn’t popular, convenient, or good for my political career. Because in the end, integrity and compassion matter more than titles or accomplishments.
The OJ Simpson white Bronco chase. I was 6 years old and I was watching the NBA Finals with my father.
I believe term limits should apply to all elected offices—including the House, the Senate, the presidency and vice presidency—and that the Supreme Court should also be subject to fixed terms. Our democracy works best when public service is exactly that: service, not a lifelong career.

I also believe we need age limits for our representatives. If someone is no longer eligible to delay their Social Security benefits, they should not be eligible to hold elected office. Representation should reflect the realities of the people being governed, not be dominated by leaders who are decades removed from them.

Term limits and age limits are essential safeguards. They prevent power from becoming entrenched, reduce corruption, and ensure that voters are not represented by individuals who remain in office year after year—often enriching themselves and their donors while everyday people are left behind.
Northside Democracy For America, Illinois Progressives, Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, Citizens Impeachment, The Justice Coalition

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 the Federal Election Commission. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 10, 2026


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