By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Kate McGrath, an Aflac district sales coordinator, is challenging state Sen. Julie Morrison, a Democrat, for the Illinois Senate District 29 seat covering a stretch of Chicago’s North Shore from Glencoe to Lake Bluff. McGrath, a Republican making her first run for office, says property taxes and a lack of public awareness about recent state legislation led her to enter the race.
McGrath has spent nearly three decades in insurance, including stints managing distribution for American Heart Association training products and, since 2021, working with Aflac to help small businesses offer supplemental benefits. She says the frustration she hears from clients mirrors pressure she feels in her own household as a homeowner in Deerfield, which sits inside the district.
“I feel like I’m being pushed out of my home,” McGrath says. “And when nobody else would step up, I said, for sure, put me in. We need competition. We need to have choices, especially for our conservative voters in the district.”
McGrath says many voters in the district are unaware of recent legislation passed in Springfield, including a delivery tax, the Build Illinois Homes Act and the SAFE-T Act, which overhauled the state’s pretrial detention system.
“Did you know [the delivery tax] was voted on?” McGrath says. “And they have no idea. The Build Act — no idea. The SAFE-T Act — no idea. People are not informed.”
McGrath’s campaign centers on property tax relief and fiscal accountability in Springfield. She has been endorsed by the Senate Republican Victory Fund and the Lake County GOP and is certified for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. Morrison, the Democratic incumbent, has represented the district for more than a decade.
Learn more at kateforstatesenate.com.
