Hanson cruises to victory in Democratic primary for 83rd state House seat

Democratic incumbent state Rep. Matt Hanson appears to have fended off a progressive challenger in the primary race for the 83rd Illinois House District seat.

As of 9:50 p.m. Tuesday, Hanson had captured 3,847 votes, according to unofficial tallies from Kane and Kendall counties. His primary opponent, Arad Boxenbaum, had 1,838 votes. The Associated Press projected Hanson as the winner less than two hours after the polls closed.

The contest was a rematch from two years ago. Hanson, a former Kane County Board member, easily clinched the Democratic nod in 2022. He went on to defeat Republican Keith Wheeler in a district that was substantially redrawn by the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

Now a long strip, the district encompasses parts of St. Charles, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery and Oswego.

Boxenbaum, a 22-year-old Geneva library trustee and gun violence prevention activist, was endorsed by Run For Something, a political network that recruits and supports young progressive candidates. But Boxenbaum had far less campaign cash than his Democratic rival.

Hanson’s reelection bid received thousands of dollars’ worth of in-kind donations from House Speaker Chris Welch’s campaign fund and the Democrats for the Illinois House committee, according to campaign finance reports filed last month.

Hanson, 50, an engineer for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, has served on Metra’s Citizens Advisory Board. He said he has the experience to become a “serious part” of talks in Springfield about a “fiscal cliff” forecast for Chicago-area public transit agencies.

“The discussions as to how to address that properly to keep all the transit agencies underneath the umbrella of the (Regional Transportation Authority), those discussions are beginning, and it’s going to be more than a one-year, one-session fix,” Hanson said during a meeting with the Daily Herald editorial board.

Boxenbaum, by contrast, promised to be a full-time lawmaker if elected. He said he would push for a ballot measure seeking to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution.

Hanson has said putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot is “definitely a consideration.” He touted endorsements from Planned Parenthood Illinois Action and Personal PAC.

Hanson also has called for expanding vocational training so that veterans and retirees looking to enter the workforce “have options.”

“We need to make sure that other opportunities are out there for folks, if they choose to not participate in our formal education system at the highest level,” he said.