Christine Radogno

Republican leader in Illinois State Senate, representing the 41st Senate District

What is Christine Radogno known for?

Christine Radogno is a noteworthy alumna of Lyons Township High School, Lagrange, IL. Born on December 21, 1952 in Oak Park, Illinois, she grew up to be an influential American politician. She served the Republican party in the Illinois Senate, representing the 41st Legislative District which covered Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties. Radogno held this position from 1997 to 2017.

A trailblazer in her field, Radogno was the first female leader of a political party in the Illinois Legislature, where she served as the Minority Leader from February 2009 until her resignation on July 1, 2017, amid the Illinois budget crisis. Before her leadership role, she had been a member of the Illinois Senate for the 24th district from 1997 to 2003.

Radogno's education journey took her through the hallways of Loyola University in Chicago, where she earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work. She started her professional life as a social worker at Mercy Center for Health Care Services. Her political journey kick-started with her successful run for the Village of LaGrange Trustee from 1989 to 1996. She also ran for the office of Illinois State Treasurer in 2006 as a Republican nominee, although she was defeated by Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. In October 2015, she served as Illinois state chair of John Kasich's presidential campaign.

During her tenure in the Illinois Senate, she was part of various committees including the Committee on Rules, Human Services, Appropriations I, Appropriations II, Appropriations III, Executive, Public Health, and the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

Christine Radogno resides in Lemont, Illinois with her husband, Nunzio. They have three adult daughters. Tragically, in 2014, their daughter Lisa was struck by a car in Washington, D.C. and passed away.

To learn more about Christine Radogno's career, check out this article from the Chicago Tribune on her retirement and this piece from Politico about her resignation during the Illinois budget crisis.