Matt Hanson is a railroad engineer and Democratic politician serving as an Illinois state representative for District 83.[1] Elected in 2022 he defeated Republican Keith Wheeler. The District includes parts of St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery, and Oswego.[2]
Hanson earned a B.S. in business administration from the University of Richmond and worked as an engineer with BNSF Railway.[1]
He was previously elected to the Kane County Board from District 6 in 2018, and but lost re-election to the seat in 2020 in the primary.
In 2022, Hanson sought the Democratic nomination for state representative from the 83rd District which he won. He went on to defeat incumbent Republican Keith Wheeler with 53.7 percent of the vote.[2] Hanson ran on a platform of protecting worker's rights, standing up for Illinois families, protecting a woman's right to choose and fighting gun violence.[3] He was sworn in for his first term on January 11, 2023.[2]
In the 103rd General Assembly, Hanson served on the Appropriations-General Service Committee; Cities & Villages Committee; Police & Fire Committee; and the Transportation: Regulations, Roads & Bridges Committee.[1]
Hanson recently won the 2024 Democratic primary, after facing a challenger. [4]
On October 27, 2023, Hanson was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, after being found asleep in his vehicle in the parking lot of his apartment complex.[5] His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.186%, more than double the legal limit.[5] On December 19, 2023, Hanson pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 12 months of court supervision, 100 hours of community service, an evaluation, counseling, treatment, and a $3,555 fine.[6]