Nan introduced our speaker for the evening, Patrick Hanley, whose organization. Operation Swing State, “a coalition of grassroots volunteers contacting voters in key states” is mobilizing Illinoisans to impact the presidential election in Wisconsin and Michigan. Patrick is a small business owner and civic leader in Winnetka, who serves on the board of Openlands, a Chicago area nature and conservation nonprofit, and on the leadership team of FairVote Illinois.Patrick emphasized the importance of getting out the vote for the upcoming election cycle and how we can help. He also shared his thoughts on key factors influencing the election, including the 2025 Project. Project 2025 was created by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative organization that has been in existence since the Reagan era. In2026 they began to realize that Trump could be a supporter of the organization.With Trump staff coming and going, the foundation found an opportunity to push for a tax package and a way to influence the appointment of members to the Supreme Court. Then COVID began. While the country and the world were dealing with health,economic and mental health issues, the conservatives were considering a playbook to dismantle the governmental administrative systems. They collected resumes, identified supporters and Trump policies and created a database of ideologies. The project was designed for a new Trump presidency. They shared common ideas, supported isolationism, engaged with Evangelical Christians, and said that they supported family values.
