Undeterred by previous losses, Hanson again challenging Quigley in 5th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley is facing a familiar challenger this fall in the largely suburban 5th Congressional District.

Republican Tommy Hanson, a real estate agent from Chicago, lost to Quigley in 2018, 2020 and 2022, never earning as much as 29% of the vote. Hanson also ran for the seat in 2008, losing to future White House chief of staff and current Ambassador Rahm Emanuel.

The 5th Congressional District cuts diagonally through Cook and Lake counties between Chicago's North Side and the Barrington area. It includes sections of Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Deer Park and Lake Zurich.

Quigley

Quigley, also of Chicago, has represented the district since 2009.

Immigration is one of the top issues of this election cycle, and Quigley said the U.S. system needs to be reformed.

“That must include everything from securing our border to reforming our immigration court system to passing the DREAM Act,” Quigley said. He called for quicker court processing times and simplifying the work permit system.

Quigley also said Congress should address the root causes by sending targeted aid to the nations migrants primarily are fleeing.

Although Chicago’s Ukrainian Village no longer is in the 5th District because of the 2022 redistricting process, the independence and security of that European nation remain priorities for Quigley, especially as it continues fighting Russian invaders.

He has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and repeatedly has called on Congress to continue providing Ukraine military aid.

“I have visited Ukraine three times since the beginning of the war and have seen firsthand how important our continued support is,” Quigley told the Daily Herald.

Quigley also has been a vocal ally of Israel, especially since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.

“Hamas’ capability to launch attacks must be eradicated and all remaining hostages must be returned,” he said.

Quigley supports a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Quigley praised President Joe Biden’s economic policies, particularly touting job creation figures and the nation’s avoidance of a recession. Nonetheless, the cost of living remains too high, he said.

He said he supports Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ economic proposals, particularly proposals to cut taxes for middle-class Americans and “take on corporate price gouging.”

Quigley strongly supports a woman’s right to have an abortion and has said Congress should enact federal protections.

Hanson

Hanson did not complete a candidate questionnaire for the Daily Herald this cycle or sit for an in-depth interview with the Daily Herald ahead of this election, and he wouldn’t answer questions for this story.

He lists immigration as a top issue on his campaign website. While voicing support for legal immigration and the diversity of the nation’s immigrant population, Hanson said illegal immigration puts an undue burden on taxpayers and has destroyed families.

“The uncontrolled influx of fentanyl and other illegal narcotics across the southern border has caused thousands of deaths in the United States,” Hanson said on the site. “We must secure our border to preserve, protect and defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Hanson’s website also mentions the federal deficit and its impact on future generations.

“Out-of-control federal spending is causing the dramatic rise in the current inflation,” Hanson’s website reads.

Hanson’s website says he opposes abortion, which hasn’t changed from his last campaign. During a 2022 interview, however, Hanson defended a woman's right to have an abortion, saying “it's her private business.”

As for Ukraine and Israel, Hanson in 2022 told the Daily Herald the U.S. should “keep an arms length, but an observant eye, on other countries’ activity.”

Two years ago, Hanson refused to acknowledge Biden was legitimately elected. He also denied the severity of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, claiming police there were coached “to make it appear that the Capitol was under siege” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Hanson made national news last year when he and his wife, Gabrielle, were escorted into a public candidate forum in Tennessee by far-right extremists. Gabrielle Hanson was running for mayor in the Tennessee town where she lives and had been a city alderman. One of those supporters was Brad Lewis, who has called himself “an actual literal Nazi” and has the logo of the far-right Proud Boys tattooed on his face.

In a prepared statement emailed to the Daily Herald this summer, Tommy Hanson said he and his wife “have never knowingly associated in any way with white supremacists or Nazis and would never associate with white supremacists or Nazis.”

However, Lewis has said Gabrielle Hanson was a friend, and she acknowledged Lewis was one of her real estate clients.