Tom Lally, a Republican from the North Shore, is running for Illinois State Senate District 9 in the Nov. 3 general election. He faces Democrat Patrick Hanley.
Lally said the Illinois District 9 Republican Organization approached him in the spring of 2026 to represent the party, according to his campaign website. He ran unopposed in the March 17 Republican primary, receiving 3,766 votes, according to Ballotpedia. Lally said his overarching goal is to bring "Common Sense back to Illinois politics" and make the state a safe and affordable place to live.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Race: Illinois State Senate, District 9
- Background: Grew up in North Evanston and Wilmette; attended elementary and high school in Wilmette; played sports in many North Shore communities
- Family background: Lally said his grandfather opened West End Florist in 1908. The business is now in its fourth generation. Lally said he delivered flowers throughout the North Shore at a young age.
- Status: Retired
Experience and public service
Lally described a career spanning three fields: insurance, sales and national defense.
In insurance, he said his roles included systems design, telemarketing and direct mail at Allstate, CNA and Ryan Insurance Group. He also said he worked in sales for publishing firms and other clients. In national defense, Lally said he held a compliance role at Northrop Grumman Corporation.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Lally's campaign materials. Each reflects the candidate's own stated views.
Property taxes: Lally said he supports property tax exemptions based on income level and age, with limits on assessments. He said these measures would provide relief to homeowners and help stem population loss from Illinois.
Taxes and government spending: Lally called for freezing taxes, reducing state spending and cutting government waste. He said he wants to assist the private sector in bringing business to Illinois and creating jobs.
Education: Lally said he supports auditing teachers unions and tying pension rules to student test scores, so that higher scores would receive greater funding and lower scores would result in less. He also said he supports allowing parents to attend classes once per semester.
Public safety: Lally said he supports reinforcing local police to address road rage, speeding and cut-through traffic in North Shore neighborhoods. He called for increased consequences for young drivers and their parents.
Workforce development: Lally said he supports recreating public works programs to train young people in the trades.
Candidate responses were drawn from Lally's campaign website.
