Kate McGrath: 2026 candidate for Illinois Senate District 29

Bio

Office sought: Senate District 29

Party: Republican

City: Deerfield

Age: 51

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

What do you consider the three most pressing issues facing the state in the next four years, and how should they be addressed?

Affordability in Illinois is the most pressing issue. Rising property taxes, sales taxes, tolls, fees, and surcharges are placing an increasing burden on families, homeowners, and businesses. State and local policies are making it more expensive to live, work, and raise a family here, leaving many residents questioning whether they can afford to stay.

At the same time, Illinois’ growing state budget and the loss of high-income earners and taxpayers are putting even more pressure on those who remain. We need to make Illinois more affordable for the families and businesses that are here and create an environment that encourages people to stay. We need to start with the state budget and controlling the spending.

The second most pressing issue is crime; our state leaders need to prioritize our safety. We must repeal the Safe-T Act and enforce consequences for criminal behavior.

The third major issue is economic growth. Illinois needs policies that create a more business-friendly environment, attract new businesses and investment, and encourage existing businesses to grow and create good-paying jobs. A stronger economy for the next generation.

How would you assess the General Assembly's handling, to date, of the various proposals surrounding a Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights? What proposals would you have been willing to support and in what ways, if any, might you have approached it differently?

I want the Bears to stay in Illinois, but any public assistance for a new stadium must be justified with a cost-benefit analysis. Taxpayers should not bear the burden of this project. If the investment creates good-paying jobs, economic activity and new tax revenue, any assistance from the state must be limited, performance based and provide a clear economic benefit for Illinois taxpayers. The state should not provide an open-ended subsidy. I feel like the handling of the Bears stadium has been poor, a true disappointment to so many Chicago Bears fans, especially with all the momentum the team has right now.

Now roughly three years into the elimination of cash bail in Illinois as part of the SAFE-T Act, how would you assess the success or failure of the criminal justice reform measure? What changes, if any, would you support?

The SAFE-T Act needs significant reform. Illinois must put public safety, victims' rights, and accountability ahead of policies that make it more difficult to detain dangerous or repeat offenders.

I support giving judges greater discretion to detain individuals who pose a clear threat to public safety, are a serious flight risk, repeatedly violate court orders, or commit new crimes while on pretrial release.

At the same time, I do not believe taxpayers should continue spending more money on a revolving-door system that fails to hold repeat offenders accountable. Pretrial decisions should be based on public safety and risk, not a person's ability to pay cash bail, but there must be meaningful consequences when individuals demonstrate that they cannot or will not comply with the conditions of release.

Illinois needs a criminal-justice system that protects the public, respects victims, gives judges the tools they need, and holds offenders accountable, while demanding fiscal discipline from the state.

Illinois homeowners face one of the highest relative property tax burdens in the country. What specific proposals could you offer to ease the burden on state residents?

Illinois families are having to pay higher and higher property taxes year after year not because the value of their house has gone up, but mostly because local government spending continues to grow. Since property taxes are imposed locally, we need to look at where the tax dollars are going and see if there are areas where we can consolidate. I support limiting property-tax levy increases, consolidating unnecessary layers of local government, requiring greater accountability and efficiency in government spending, and reducing administrative waste. We need to rethink how we fund education.

High property taxes are one of the reasons Illinois continues to lose residents to states with lower tax burdens. We need to stop pricing families, retirees, and businesses out of Illinois and make meaningful property tax relief a priority.

Gov. JB Pritzker recently paused a state initiative granting incentives to data center developers, and residents statewide have concerns about how such developments are affecting their access to water, utility rates, and the environment. How should the state approach data centers going forward?

Welcoming data centers to Illinois could bring significant private investment, construction opportunities, high-paying technical jobs, and additional tax revenue. But that growth must be managed responsibly and in a way that protects Illinois taxpayers and existing utility customers.

Data centers should be required to provide or directly fund the new clean energy capacity needed to support their operations rather than relying on existing capacity or shifting infrastructure costs onto other ratepayers. Illinois must also ensure complete transparency around tax exemptions, credits, and subsidies so taxpayers can clearly see what they are being asked to contribute.

Any incentives should be tied to measurable economic performance standards, including investment and job creation. We should also closely monitor water consumption and require data centers to implement plans that minimize their use of this critical resource. Illinois should welcome innovation and investment, but not at the expense of taxpayers, ratepayers, or our natural resources.

Illinois’ “sanctuary” policies concerning immigration have made it a target for the Trump administration and critics who say they encourage criminal behavior. How do you feel about those policies, and how, if at all, would you change them?

One of the main goals, if not the main goal of our legislators in Springfield is to keep all of our citizens safe. The sanctuary policies in Illinois have resulted in the death of many of our citizens and that is unacceptable. We should not require our local police to become immigration officers, but at the same time Illinois should not create unnecessary barriers between the state, local and federal enforcement.

Individuals who commit serious crimes should be held accountable, regardless of immigration status and unfortunately, we are failing here.

I would support reviewing related laws to ensure they do not prevent legitimate cooperation between law-enforcement agencies, particularly when dealing with serious criminal offenders and valid federal judicial warrants. At the same time, taxpayer-funded local police resources should remain focused primarily on protecting Illinois communities rather than assuming responsibility for federal immigration enforcement.

Many women in the legislature complain about a culture of sexual harassment in Springfield. Do you see evidence of this and, if so, what should be done about it?

Recent investigations have shown that sexual harassment is a serious concern in Springfield and that is unacceptable.

I support strengthening Illinois’ ethics laws and ensuring meaningful, independent oversight of elected officials:

• We should give the inspector general independent authority to subpoena witnesses and documents when investigating alleged misconduct.

• We should extend the statute of limitations for harassment and misconduct complaints, giving victims more time to come forward.

• Require regular, independent audits of the Inspector General’s office to ensure accountability.

• Strengthen confidentiality protections and establish significant consequences for improper disclosure and retaliation. No elected official should be above accountability. Illinois needs an ethics system that is independent, transparent, and trusted by the public. Women should feel safe and protected against any sexual harassment and misconduct should be invested and punished.

Are you satisfied with the state's existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?

Illinois needs stronger ethics enforcement and greater accountability in Springfield. Ethics laws are only effective if they are enforced independently, transparently and consistently.

I support strengthening the independence and authority of the Legislative Inspector General, including giving the office independent subpoena power to investigate allegations of corruption, misconduct, fraud, waste and abuse.

We should also strengthen financial disclosure requirements so taxpayers can clearly see legislators outside employment, significant financial interests, business relationships and potential conflicts of interest. Legislators should not be able to use public office for personal financial gain.

I believe that ethics investigations and their outcomes should be transparent to the public whenever legally permissible. Illinois taxpayers deserve to know that the people making the laws are held to the same standard of accountability that they expect from everyone else.

Springfield needs an ethics system that is independent, transparent and enforceable.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

I’m running because too many Illinois families feel like the state is working against them instead of for them. The cost of living, taxes, and uncertainty about the future are driving people to leave, and I don’t accept that as our only option. As a mother, business owner, a high school coach and a taxpayer, I have expectations and I ask that they are met.

I’ve spent my career working with businesses and families, seeing firsthand how state policy affects jobs, healthcare, and budgets. I understand how regulation, taxes, and insurance costs hit small employers and working people. That experience, combined with years of community involvement and leadership roles, gives me a practical, real‑world perspective I’ll bring to Springfield.