Dan McConchie

Daniel McConchie is a Republican who represented the 26th Senate District of Illinois, which includes communities such as Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein, and Wauconda.

Born on March 11, 1966, McConchie is a paraplegic and the first paraplegic elected to state office in Illinois history. He sustained a spinal cord injury during a 2007 hit-and-run crash and has used a wheelchair for 17 years. McConchie is married with two teenage daughters and resides in Hawthorn Woods. He is a member of Heritage Church in Lake Zurich.

Political Experience

McConchie served as a state senator from 2016 until his resignation on February 2, 2025. He was initially appointed to the 26th District in April 2016 after Dan Duffy retired early, following McConchie's victory in the March 2016 primary election where he secured 36.6% of the vote.

He served as Illinois Senate Republican Leader from January 2021 until November 2022, when he was not re-elected by his caucus to continue in that role and was succeeded by John Curran.

Notable Achievements and Advocacy

Before his election, McConchie worked as Vice President for Americans United for Life and previously worked for nonprofit organizations across the country as an advocate on issues including life and disability rights, as well as efforts to curb sex trafficking. He has been frequently quoted in major national media outlets including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, NPR, MSNBC, and FOX News.

During his legislative tenure, McConchie sponsored a 2016 bill that expanded voting rights in party primaries for 17-year-olds who would turn 18 by the general election. In January 2022, he introduced four amendments to the Illinois Constitution known as the "Voter Empowerment Project," which proposed changes to legislative redistricting and would make it easier for voters to introduce constitutional amendments, referendums, and recalls of elected officials.

Upon his resignation from the Senate, McConchie announced the launch of the Accessibility Policy Institute, a national nonprofit organization focused on disability accessibility.