Patrick Harlan has announced his candidacy for Illinois’ 36th State Senate District, which encompasses an average of 217,000 residents, stretching from Rock Island to Galesburg and down to Macomb. Harlan discusses the opportunities he is running on for the upcoming election, which will take place in 2026:
“I think there will be a lot of growth as far as for great customer manufacturing, keep our kids here when we offer more abilities for trades and apprenticeship programs. In Galesburg, we have an opportunity for our railroads sitting right there and the interstates coming through. I think there is a lot of opportunity we can take for building those up again and lifting us back out of this poverty we are currently experiencing. Our crime rate is out of control due to the SAFE-T Act. Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing a lot of folks getting in and out of jail, which is hurting our communities. A lot of our jobs have left due to crime and tax rates are extremely high, so it is not real business friendly. So, those are the things that I am currently running on, taxes, crime, and education. A lot of our school districts unfortunately at this current time are below the reading and math standards. We need to be able to do all we can to lift that back up and give our children opportunities.”
Harlan is a fuel truck driver by day and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Knox County Republican Party.
