State Sen. Laura Fine (9th District) announced her first TV advertisement in the 9th Congressional District race Tuesday morning, the contest’s second ad buy and likely one of several that will hit the airwaves in the weeks leading up to the March 17 primary election.
The 30-second spot, titled “Accident,” recounts her husband’s near-fatal car accident in 2010 and her subsequent fight with their health insurance company to cover the bills. This led to Fine running for and winning a state representative seat in 2012 to push for statewide insurance reform.
“They picked a fight with the wrong woman,” Fine says in the ad. “In Congress, I’ll never back down.”
A Tuesday news release announcing the ad buy shared that it will be aired on broadcast, cable and digital platforms, and also reports that Fine’s campaign raised $1.25 million over the last three months of 2025, describing the haul as a “ramp-up of the campaign’s operations.” A campaign spokesperson told the RoundTable that the ad buy cost $340,000 for its first week of airing, with further extensions possible.
Fine’s TV ad is the second in the crowded Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, following a spot ad from Kat Abughazaleh that aired on digital platforms in October and later on cable in December. With 10 weeks until Election Day and multiple candidates with war chests matching or exceeding Fine’s, including Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, it is likely that more ads in the 9th District race will hit the airwaves soon.
While Fine is self-reporting her 4th quarter fundraising total, detailed financial reports of donations and spending for all federal candidates over this period aren’t due to the Federal Election Commission until Jan. 31. Voting in the primary election will begin with mail ballots being sent out starting Feb. 5, and early voting at the Robert Crown Community Center will start March 2.
Laura Fine buys first TV ad off reported $1.25 million year-end haul is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston’s most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.
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January 6, 2026 at 11:03AM
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