Is this the GOP’s last stand in northwest Cook County?

The Republican Party’s ongoing slide in Illinois is blisteringly evident in suburban Cook County, where once-reliably red legislative districts have turned — and remained — blue.

Bucking the trend, however, are the 26th Senate District and the 52nd House District, which cover much of the same ground in the Barrington area and nearby communities. Out of the 25 Senate and 44 House districts that include at least some part of suburban Cook County, they’re among the few that aren’t in Democratic hands.

But that might change soon. The Republican lawmakers serving those two districts — state Sen. Darby Hills and state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, both of Barrington Hills — face intense challenges in the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Two-term Democratic state Rep. Nabeela Syed of Inverness hopes to unseat Hills in the Senate. Syed now represents the 51st House District, which essentially is the east half of the senate district.

In the 52nd House race, McLaughlin again is battling North Barrington Democrat Maria Peterson, whom he defeated in 2024 by a mere 47 votes.

Energized by a growing disapproval of President Donald Trump and his agenda, Illinois Democrats are highly motivated heading into Election Day, said Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

“They expect to win,” Redfield said.

Illinois’ top Democrat must think Syed and Peterson have a shot, too. Gov. JB Pritzker was scheduled to make a campaign stop Tuesday night in Palatine to promote their campaigns, as well as those of a few other suburban Democrats.

‘A beautiful combination of people’

Neighborhoods in northwest Cook County make up more than one-third of the 26th Senate District. That includes parts or all of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Palatine, Schaumburg and South Barrington.

The 26th also has sections of Lake, Kane and McHenry counties.

Barrington Township Republican Organization Chair Terry Yormark II described the residents here as hard-working, down-to-earth people “with Midwestern conservative values.”

“(It) is a beautiful combination of people that have grown up and lived here all their lives mixed with young couples that have left city life to raise their growing families in a safer place with better schools and more space,” Yormark said.

But folks who leave Chicago or its inner suburbs for the semirural communities of the 26th District bring their political beliefs with them, said Melissa Mouritsen, a political science professor at the College of DuPage. That’s led to the district’s leftward shift, which Mouritsen said is reaching “critical mass.”

There’s also the Trump factor.

Democratic politicians, activists and everyday residents throughout the Chicago area have vehemently criticized the Operation Midway Blitz immigration crackdown, the Iran war’s impact on fuel prices and other Trump policies. That anger will drive them to polling places and shape how they vote, Redfield said.

Even Cook County Republican Chair Terry Carr acknowledged Trump’s sinking approval ratings — below 40% in multiple polls — will hurt GOP candidates here.

“It sucks that we have to take some of the heat from Washington,” Carr said. “It really does.”

The Senate race

Hills was appointed to the 26th Senate seat in February 2025 by GOP leaders after predecessor Dan McConchie resigned.

In the 20 months that have followed, she’s repeatedly reached across the aisle to work with Democrats on legislation and has broken with the GOP on some of its core issues, such as her 2025 vote for a stronger gun storage law and her opposition this year to a proposal that would criminalize women who seek abortions after being raped.

Hills believes that independence matters to her constituents.

“They care less about party labels and more about having good schools, safe neighborhoods, responsible spending and a meaningful say in what happens near their homes,” she said. “They want elected leaders who think for themselves and who will put people over politics.”

Syed’s description of 26th District residents is remarkably similar.

“What I hear from neighbors isn’t about party,” Syed said. “It’s about rising costs, choosing between medication and groceries, and whether they can afford to stay in the community they love.”

When asked about the GOP’s history of success in the district, Syed pointed out that she upset Republican Chris Bos to win her state House seat in 2022. She also noted voters didn’t have a say in Hills’ appointment.

“Now they do,” Syed said.

Syed has been a far better fundraiser than Hills. In the last quarter alone, the Syed campaign collected more than $1.2 million — nearly all of it from labor unions and political groups — while Hills’ campaign raised about $451,000, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Additionally, last week, the Illinois State Democratic Fund transferred $480,000 to the Syed campaign, documents show.

Team Syed spent nearly $1.3 million last quarter, while the Hills campaign spent about $674,000.

In the House

A former Barrington Hills mayor, McLaughlin has held the 52nd District seat since 2021 and ran unopposed for the GOP nomination in March. That was the first time he’d been on a ballot since defeating Peterson by a fraction of a percentage point in 2024.

But a win’s a win.

“They don’t ask how you won, but if you won,” Yormark said. “Winning as a Republican in Illinois is hard enough, and Marty deserves all the credit in the world.”

McLaughlin believes he’s held the line against the Democratic insurgency, in part, because voters like his fiscally conservative approach. The economic pain constituents face has increased, McLaughlin said, and more taxes and increased government spending aren’t going to solve the state’s problems.

“That’s my message,” he said. “Fiscal responsibility still matters.”

Peterson’s campaign reported collecting nearly $223,000 and spending more than $86,000 last quarter; that’s more than she raised and less than she spent during the same critical quarter in 2024, records show.

Additionally, Democrats for the Illinois House — an arm of the House Democratic caucus — purchased more than $1 million in advertising for Peterson last week, documents show.

Despite her successful fundraising and the financial support from her party, Peterson said her team is stressing connections with voters over bombarding people with ads, flyers and signs. “Yard signs don’t vote,” she said.

That was one of the lessons of the 2024 election, Peterson said.

“My team and I have been knocking doors since last fall at a pace many campaigns don’t reach until the final weeks before an election,” she said.

McLaughlin’s campaign raised about $65,000 and spent about $29,000 over the last three months. That’s less that he raised and slightly more than he spent during the third quarter of 2024.

While accepting that the Illinois GOP doesn’t have the Democrats’ cash or manpower, Carr said he expects McLaughlin to win.

“He was the underdog last time and he pulled it off,” he said. “I think he will again.”

rlissau@dailyherald.com