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Who is Mike Halpin?

Mike Halpin has represented western Illinois in Springfield since 2017 and is on the ballot again on November 3. Here is his record. Every claim on this page links to a public record you can check yourself.

His SAFE-T Act vote Check your registration
State Sen. Mike Halpin speaking at a microphone
Sen. Mike HalpinDemocrat · 36th District · photo credit
60 of 60
The SAFE-T Act needed 60 House votes and got exactly 60. His was one.6
7 of 8
Pritzker-era budgets he voted for23
$2.04M
Sent to his 2022 campaign by a Senate Democratic fund that Pritzker put $3M into that cycle30
48.3¢
Illinois gas tax per gallon today, up from 19¢ before his 2019 vote19
At a glance

The short version

Office
State Senator, 36th District (Democrat), since January 20235
Before that
State Representative, 72nd District, 2017–20235
Hometown
Voorheesville, New York1
Came to Illinois
2002, to work on a congressman's staff1,2
SAFE-T Act
Voted YES. It passed with exactly the 60 votes it needed.6
Pritzker budgets
Voted for 7 of the 8 he has faced23
01
Background

He came to Illinois for a job in politics, and politics has been his career ever since

Mike Halpin grew up in Voorheesville, New York, outside Albany. The Illinois House's own resolution honoring him says he "first came to Illinois in 2002" to join the staff of Congressman Lane Evans.1 Since then his career has run through Democratic politics: a congressman's office, an appointed county post, the Rock Island County Democratic Party, and nearly ten years in the General Assembly.

  • 2002 — Moves to Illinois as district scheduler and personal aide to Rep. Lane Evans (D)2
  • 2005 — Marries MaryAnn, whom he met at an East Moline Democrat Club meeting2
  • 2013–2017 — Appointed Rock Island County Public Administrator and Public Guardian1
  • 2016 — Elected to the Illinois House, 72nd District5
  • 2021 — Elected Rock Island County Democratic Party chairman while serving in the House3
  • 2022 — Moves up to the State Senate, 36th District5
  • 2026 — Seeks another term5
For the record

Halpin is also a lawyer. He clerked for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman and has been with the Rock Island firm McCarthy, Callas & Feeney since 2010, becoming a partner in 2013.2,4 We think voters should have the full picture.

02
Public safety

The SAFE-T Act passed by the slimmest possible margin. Halpin voted yes.

The SAFE-T Act (House Bill 3653) passed during the January 2021 lame-duck session. It ended cash bail, made pretrial release the default, and rewrote rules for police across the state. It needed 60 votes in the 118-member House. It got exactly 60, and Mike Halpin's was one of them.6

60 – 50

The final House vote on January 13, 2021. Every one of the 60 "yes" votes was needed. Several of Halpin's fellow Democrats, including downstate Rep. Lance Yednock, voted no. Halpin did not.6

He then voted for both follow-up bills that kept the law going: House Bill 3443 in May 20217 and House Bill 1095 in December 2022.8

What the law does

  • Ends cash bail. Release is presumed. To hold someone, prosecutors must prove by "clear and convincing" evidence that they are a real threat or a willful flight risk, and only for listed offenses.9
  • Allows anonymous complaints against officers.9
  • Requires body cameras at every department, including small rural ones, by 2025.9

Who objected

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the bill.9 Prosecutors in 65 counties went to court to stop it, including Knox, McDonough and Mercer counties in Halpin's own district.10 The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the law in 2023, and cash bail ended statewide that September.9

The problems have reached Halpin's own district. In 2024, a year after cash bail ended, the Rock Island County State's Attorney said about three in four suspects were being released, which she called "too many," and that car theft isn't even a detainable offense.11

In April 2026, Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew was killed. The suspect had been released on electronic monitoring over prosecutors' objections while facing armed carjacking charges. He stopped coming to court, and his monitor went silent.13

What the data does and doesn't show

A Loyola University study of the law's first three years found no statistically significant change in crime statewide. It also found that Illinois never built statewide data on whether people released before trial are arrested again.12 Five years after Halpin cast a deciding vote, the state still can't answer the question families care about most: are the people being released committing new crimes?

03
Pocketbook

One-party rule, and the results

Democrats have controlled both chambers of the General Assembly since 2003, and have held veto-proof supermajorities in both since 2019. Today the Senate is 40–19 and the House is 78–40.27 That is the majority Mike Halpin votes with. Here is what Illinois looks like under it.

−102,600
Illinois residents lost since 2020: the 3rd-largest drop of any state, while the U.S. grew 3.1%.
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 202514
6 of 6
Counties in Halpin's district that have lost population since 2020: McDonough −4.9%, Knox −4.4%, Warren −3.7%, Mercer −3.0%, Henry −2.4%, Rock Island −1.9%.
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 202515
2nd
Highest effective property tax rate in America (1.88%), essentially tied with New Jersey.
Tax Foundation, March 202616
$143.5B
Unfunded debt in the five state pension systems, only 47.8% funded. That's about $11,000 for every resident.
Illinois COGFA, FY202517
Lowest
Credit rating of any state at S&P and Moody's, even after recent upgrades.
Capitol News Illinois, Sept. 202618
4.7%
Illinois unemployment rate in August 2026, versus 4.1% nationally.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics25

Halpin's votes on what you pay

VoteWhat it didHalpin
SB 9 veto override
July 6, 2017		Enacted the largest permanent income tax increase in state history, from 3.75% to 4.95%, over Gov. Rauner's veto. It needed exactly 71 votes and got 71.YES21
SB 1939
June 1, 2019		Doubled the gas tax from 19¢ to 38¢ a gallon, tied it to automatic yearly increases, and raised vehicle registration fees. The tax is now 48.3¢, the 2nd-highest total gas tax in the nation.YES20,19
SJRCA 1
May 27, 2019		Put the graduated "Fair Tax" amendment on the ballot, which would have removed the Constitution's flat-tax protection. Voters rejected it in 2020.YES22
State budgets
FY2020–FY2027		Voted for the FY20, FY21, FY22, FY23, FY24, FY25 and FY27 budgets. Voted no on FY26.7 of 823
SB 3019
May 31, 2026		The FY27 revenue package, with new taxes on social media platforms, targeted advertising and digital assets, and a cap on business loss deductions.YES24

State spending outpaced inflation

General funds, billions of dollars26,24
FY2019
$38.5B
FY2019 + inflation
$51.0B
FY2027
~$56B
Up about 45% since FY2019, while prices rose about 32% (BLS CPI-U).

The gas tax, per gallon

Illinois motor fuel tax on gasoline19,20
Before July 2019
19¢
July 2019
38¢
Today
48.3¢
Doubled by SB 1939, which Halpin voted for, and raised automatically every year since.
For the record

Halpin initially voted no on the 2017 income tax bill before voting to override the veto days later. The 2019 gas tax bill drew Republican votes as well. Halpin did vote against the FY2026 budget. Illinois' credit rating has been upgraded several times since 2021, though it remains the lowest of any state.21,18

04
Who he answers to

A reliable ally of JB Pritzker, and of the machine before him

State Sen. Mike Halpin
Mike HalpinState Senator, 36th District
Gov. JB Pritzker, official 2019 portrait
JB PritzkerGovernor of Illinois
"I'm proud to stand with JB Pritzker…"Mike Halpin, endorsing Pritzker for governor, Rock Island, February 201828

Halpin endorsed Pritzker early in the 2018 primary. After the election, Pritzker named him to his transition team's Job Creation and Economic Opportunity committee.28,29 Since then, Halpin has voted for seven of the eight budgets Pritzker has signed or sought.23

Follow the money

Pritzker's campaign put $3 million into the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund during the 2022 election cycle. That same fund transferred $2.04 million to Halpin's campaign in 2022, the year he first ran for the Senate.30 Pritzker is also the largest donor to the Democratic Party of Illinois, at more than $26 million, and the party has given Halpin's campaigns in-kind support in every one of his elections.30

For the record

State records show no contributions directly from Pritzker or his campaign to Halpin. The money above went from Pritzker to party and caucus funds, which then supported Halpin.30

And before Pritzker: Madigan

Halpin voted to make Michael Madigan Speaker of the House in 2017 and again in 2019.31 He announced he would not back Madigan on January 12, 2021, one day after Madigan had already suspended his campaign for Speaker amid the ComEd bribery investigation.32,33 In 2025, Madigan was convicted on federal corruption charges and sentenced to 7½ years in prison.34

★ ★ ★

Now you know who Mike Halpin is

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Make sure you're registered, find your polling place, and bring a neighbor.

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Sources

Check our work

Every fact on this page comes from the sources below, and most are official state records. Statements of opinion are those of Beekman for Senate. If you find an error, let the campaign know and we will correct it.

  1. Illinois House Resolution 1053 (102nd General Assembly, 2022) honoring Rep. Halpin. ilga.gov
  2. Sen. Mike Halpin, official biography. senatorhalpin.com/bio
  3. "Mike Halpin elected Rock Island County Democratic Party chairman," Quad-City Times, May 2021. qctimes.com
  4. "Second Democrat running in Ill. 72nd District," WVIK, Oct. 19, 2015. wvik.org
  5. Michael Halpin, Ballotpedia (offices held and election results). ballotpedia.org
  6. House Roll Call, HB 3653 (SAFE-T Act), concurrence in Senate Amendment 2, Jan. 13, 2021: 60–50. ilga.gov (PDF)
  7. House Roll Call, HB 3443, concurrence, May 31, 2021: 79–36. ilga.gov (PDF)
  8. House Roll Call, HB 1095, concurrence, Dec. 1, 2022: 71–40. ilga.gov (PDF)
  9. "What's in the SAFE-T Act?" Capitol News Illinois, May 18, 2022. capitolnewsillinois.com
  10. "Cash bail won't be eliminated Jan. 1 in these Illinois counties after SAFE-T Act ruling," NBC Chicago, Dec. 29, 2022. nbcchicago.com
  11. "Small crimes adding up to a big problem in Rock Island County nearly a year after cash bail ended," KWQC, Aug. 9, 2024. kwqc.com
  12. "The Pretrial Fairness Act After Three Years," Loyola University Chicago Center for Criminal Justice, Oct. 14, 2026. loyolaccj.org
  13. "SAFE-T Act back in spotlight after killing of Chicago police officer," KFVS, Apr. 30, 2026. kfvs12.com
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates (April 2020 base to July 2025). census.gov · data
  15. U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates. census.gov (data)
  16. "Property Taxes by State and County," Tax Foundation, Mar. 16, 2026. taxfoundation.org
  17. Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, 2025 Special Pension Briefing. cgfa.ilga.gov (PDF)
  18. "S&P Global upgrades Illinois credit rating," Capitol News Illinois, Sept. 2, 2026. capitolnewsillinois.com
  19. Illinois Department of Revenue, Informational Bulletin FY 2026-24 (motor fuel tax rates, July 1–Dec. 31, 2026); Tax Foundation, Illinois profile. tax.illinois.gov · taxfoundation.org
  20. House Roll Call, SB 1939, third reading, June 1, 2019: 83–29–1. ilga.gov (PDF)
  21. House Roll Calls, SB 9: passage July 2, 2017 (Halpin no), 72–45; veto override July 6, 2017 (Halpin yes), 71–42. passage (PDF) · override (PDF)
  22. House Roll Call, SJRCA 1, May 27, 2019: 73–44. ilga.gov (PDF)
  23. Budget roll calls: FY20 SB 262 (PDF); FY21 HB 357 (PDF); FY22 SB 2800 (PDF); FY23 HB 900 (PDF); FY24 SB 250 (PDF); FY25 SB 251 (PDF); FY26 SB 2510, Halpin no (PDF); FY27 HB 111 (PDF).
  24. Senate Roll Call, SB 3019, concurrence, May 31, 2026: 36–19 (PDF); "Pritzker signs $56B budget with new business taxes," St. Louis Public Radio, June 16, 2026. stlpr.org
  25. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Employment and Unemployment, August 2026 (released Sept. 18, 2026). bls.gov
  26. Civic Federation, FY2019 Illinois Enacted Budget; inflation from BLS CPI-U, June 2018 to June 2026. civicfed.org
  27. "Illinois Democrats keep veto-proof majorities in House and Senate," WTTW, Nov. 6, 2024. wttw.com
  28. "State Rep. Mike Halpin, Rock Island County elected officials endorse JB Pritzker," JB for Governor, Feb. 22, 2018 (archived). web.archive.org
  29. Illinois House Democrats, Pritzker transition committee announcement, Dec. 3, 2018. ilhousedems.com; also HR 1053 (source 1).
  30. Illinois State Board of Elections filings via Illinois Sunshine: Friends of Mike Halpin (committee); Illinois Senate Democratic Fund (committee); Democratic Party of Illinois (committee). Data through Sept. 30, 2026.
  31. Illinois House Journals, election of Speaker: Jan. 11, 2017 (PDF); Jan. 9, 2019 (PDF).
  32. "Illinois Rep. Halpin will not vote for Madigan as House speaker," Quad-City Times, Jan. 12, 2021. qctimes.com
  33. "Madigan suspends speaker campaign," Capitol News Illinois, Jan. 11, 2021. capitolnewsillinois.com
  34. "Ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan sentenced to 7.5 years in prison," WTTW, June 13, 2025. wttw.com
Photo credits

Last reviewed October 19, 2026.