Former Barrington village board candidate running for state House seat
Jesse Rojo, whose bid for Barrington village trustee fell short in April, announced he is running for the Democratic nomination for the 52nd District House seat in 2026.
The seat currently is held by Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills.
A Barrington resident and U.S. Army veteran who served overseas from 2019-20, Rojo chairs Illinois Veterans for Change and leads family community engagement for Raising Illinois, an early childhood policy coalition.
“Our politics are broken. The majority of voters have left politics behind because they’ve felt their politicians leave them behind,” Rojo said in his announcement. “I’m running because we’ve had enough politics, we need solutions.”
His platform includes expanding the earned Income and child tax credits to combat poverty, introducing small business tax credits, prioritizing child care and mental health funding, and protecting veterans. The University of Chicago graduate also advocates for stronger union protections and gun control measures.
The 52nd District encompasses parts of Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, including the Barrington area, Algonquin, Mundelein and Wauconda.