Rachel Ruttenberg says the term “total policy wonk” is definitely a compliment.
That how Illinois House Majority Leader Robynn Gabel described Ruttenberg, during Ruttenberg’s opening campaign event at Bluestone restaurant in Evanston on Saturday.
Ruttenberg has held a variety of education, anti-poverty, and political positions, including board president of the Democratic Party of Evanston, and policy aide to Cook County Commisson President Toni Preckwinkle.
But those jobs were all relatively behind the scenes.
Now, she is stepping out into the public office limelight, hoping to become the next state senator from the 9th Illinois District, which all of Evanston and several other northern suburbs.
That district is currently represented by Sen. Laura Fine, who is not running again. Instead, Fine will be in the Democratic Congressional primary, hoping to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who is retiring at the end of her current term.
Fine’s opponents in the primary include Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Kat Abughazaleh, Justin Ford, David Abreyava, and Mark Fredrickson. Only one Republican has filed so far for the GOP primary, Rocio Cleveland.
In addressing more than 100 supporters at the Saturday rally, Ruttenberg spoke of “two decades working in the trenches” on a variety of progressive causes.
But “sometimes, you just know it’s time” to run for office yourself instead of helping others to do so,” Ruttenberg told Evanston Now.
She spoke passionately about fighting antisemitism and also preserving DEI, the concept of divesity, equity and inclusion which President Donald Trump is trying to eliminate.
Ruttenberg blasted the administration, saying her state senate race is “deeply personal,” because of her “two young girls, who have fewer rights than when I was their age.”
Other state legislators from the area were at the event to endorse Ruttenberg – House Majority Leader Gabel, and State Reps. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Tracy Katz Muhl.
While the election is not until November, 2026, in reality, the Democratic primary will determine the next senator, because, as Ruttenberg noted to Evanston Now, the 9th District “is one of the safest Democratic seats in the state.”
Ruttenberg’s opponent in the March primary is another Democratic activist, Patrick Hanley, the president of the New Trier Democrats, who has been endorsed by retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
