Early voting in the March Primary started on February 5, locally at the McHenry County Election Center, 410 South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock, and March 2 at the satellite sites. The sample ballots will not be available on the County Clerk’s site until March 2, but if you get a Vote-By-Mail ballot, you will have all the candidates before you, and can do the research. This blog is here to help with our coveted endorsements in the Democratic Primary. Sorry, Trumpers, there are no Republicans we can trust to preserve democracy.
It is a full ballot, and several key races have several candidates. To simplify matters, we will mark with an asterisk our endorsements with occasional additional comments when necessary. Incumbents will be marked (i). We will start at the top of the ballot and drill down through local levels for McHenry County. Links for candidates provided where available
Buckle up!
U.S. Senate for the seat being vacated by Dick Durbin:
We only only considered the top three serious candidates, Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, and Juliana Straton
Steve Botsford Jr. - botsfordforillinois.com - Email - Facebook
Sean Brown - seanbrownforsenate.com - Email - Facebook
Awisi A. Bustos - awisiforussenate.us - Email
Jonathan Dean - dean4il.com - Email - Facebook
Adam Delgado - adamdelgadoforussenate.com - Email - Facebook
Congressman Robin Kelly - Trailing the leaders, behind in fundraising, and struggling to find her niche. robinforsenate.com - Facebook
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Fast out of the gate with early advertising establishing name recognition as Raja, now swinging into tough, progressive positions. rajaforil.com Facebook
Bryan Maxwell - maxwell4senate.com - Email - Facebook
Robert Palmer -palmerforsenate.com
Kevin Ryan - runwithkev.com - Email - Facebook
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton * Joined at the hip to popular Governor J.B. Pritzker who is largely financing her campaign and positions herself at the strongest anti-Trump/Maga candidate. julianastratton.com - Email - Facebook
Christopher Swann - swannforsenate.com - Email
Governor & Lieutenant Governor
Governor J.B. Pritzker and his new running mate Christian Mitchell, a Deputy Governor and former Illinois State Representative Christian Mitchell.
J.B. Pritzker (i) and Christian Mitchell * jbpritzker.com - Facebook
Attorney General
Kwame Raoul (i) * One of the most aggressive and successful state Attorney Generals challenging—and often winning—cases blocking Trump policies and defending Illinois from being singled out for punishment because of its Democratic Party dominated government. kwameraoul.com - Email - Facebook
Comptroller
Margaret Croke - State Senator and protégée of Governor Pritzker. crokeforillinois.com - Email
George Danos
Ricky Hendon
Stephanie Kifowit
Karina Villa - State Senator from Cook County running as “the working class candidate with strong support from Cook County and Latinx elected officials. karinavilla.com - Facebook
Secretary of State
Alexi Giannoulias *(i) alexiforus.com - Email - Facebook
Treasurer
State Central Committeepersons (Democratic Party posts)
9th Congressional District:
George D. Alpogianis
Daniel Biss Congressional candidate, former Evanstown Mayor and Progressive favorite candidate for Governor. The 9th District Congressional race is the background for this race with Biss and Fine competing for the large Jewish population
Laura Fine—State Senator, feminist, pro-choice leader, running against insurance companies and for healthcare reform.
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth
Josina Morita * (i) Cook County Board Member, urban planner, community advocate, and working mother. Endorsed by Senator Tammy Duckworth and retiring Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Critics of Israeli genocide in Gaza oppose all three leading candidates. josinamorita.com - Email - Facebook
Kevin Olickal
Eric Smith
Daniel Hebreard
Peter Janko * (i) Child displaced person and immigrant, strong progressive independent, Medicare for All advocate. Independent and sometimes at odds with local party leadership. pete4illinois.com - Email - Facebook
Janet Yang Rohr
Anne Stava
McHenry County Wide Offices
McHenry County Clerk
Bill McNeese * Father of three, a Navy veteran, and a small business owner, opposes incompetent and MAGA Republican Joe Tirio with a commitment to running an efficient, transparent Clerk’s Office accessible to every resident. votemcneese.com - Email - Facebook
McHenry County Treasurer
Amin Karim *An engineer by profession with an MBA in Finance and a 30-year career in corporate management, including a proven track record of leading and executing Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Projects. His second run for the office. aminkarim.com - Email - Facebook
Illinois State Senate
State Senate District 26
Nabeela Syed * Currently state representative in the 51st District, one of the youngest members ever elected to the Illinois legislature. She’s passed legislation to cap prescription drug costs, expand breast cancer screening, secure paid leave for organ donors, and make voting more accessible to young people. nabeelasyed.com - Email - Facebook
State Senate District 32
Karen Battaglia * - Longtime emergency and trauma nurse, healthcare leader, and advocate for working families, incoming President of the Illinois Emergency Nurses Association, and has served for more than a decade on the Illinois ENA Government Affairs Committee, advocating for nursing and healthcare policy at both the state and federal levels. Running to fight for affordable and accessible healthcare at every stage of life, an economy that works for working families, and safe communities and workplaces. Email - Facebook
State Senate District 33
Michele Clark * - Proud owner of a large early child learning center, Michele later served as Chief Operating Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township during the COVID-19 pandemic overseeing a multimillion-dollar budget and leading through a most difficult time for families and kids in our community. Today she serves as Director of Development for the District 300 Food Pantry, working to ensure that no child in the district goes hungry. She brings nonprofit experience, business background, and passion for seevice in support of the next generation. micheleforilsenate.com - Email
State Senate District 35
Sarah Mertens *- One of six kids from a working-class union household, Sarah acquired her work ethic early on, babysitting from a young age, working from the moment she turned 16, putting herself through college via jobs and loans. A degree in education, with a specialization in teaching German, she’s taught English as a second language, and she’s worked in health care administration and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. Only 36 and a working mom, in Springfield she plans to be a strong advocate for affordable housing and protecting our civil rights. micheleforilsenate.com - Email
State Representative (Vote for one)
District 52 State Representative
Maria Peterson * - First-generation Mexican-American, she witnessed firsthand how her immigrant parents transformed their American Dream into reality through hard work and perseverance. As an attorney, Maria became a trusted advocate for Latino families facing discrimination, and served with the U.S. Department of Labor, where she litigated workplace safety and health violations and stood up for Black Lung victims who were being denied benefits by the coal mining companies they had dedicated their lives to serving. A tireless advocate for causes including women’s rights and environmental protection, Maria came very close to unseating Republican incumbents in a 2022 race for Senate. mariafor52.com - Email - Facebook
Erin Chan Ding * Born in Arlington Heights to immigrant parents from Hong Kong, she started her journalism career at the Detroit Free Press, where she served as a union representative and fought for a fair contract. As an independent journalist, she’s written for a variety of websites, magazines and newspapers, including as a contributing editor for PolitiFact, a prize-winning fact-checking site. As a twice-elected member of the Barrington 220 Board of Education, she advocates for students, staff and families throughout the district, and oversaw the start of free, full-day kindergarten throughout the district. erinforillinois.com-Email
A.J. Johnson * - From a large Biloxi family with a long military tradition, Johnson enlisted in the Army at the first opportunity, finishing his career as a top recruiter. Since retiring brought his leadership skills to teaching ROTC in Lake County high schools. ajjohnsonforstaterep.com - Email - Facebook
District 66 State Representative
Suzanne Ness * (i) First elected to the Illinois House in 2020 now running for her fourth term. Previously she served as a McHenry County Board Member. As a State Rep she has brought more than $34 million to the district and has passed 14 bills, including funding for the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge, eliminating the need for tolling. An influential and respected legislator. citizensforsuzanneness.com - Email - Facebook
District 69 State Representative
Peter Janko * The elected Democratic State Central Committeeman for Illinois’s 11th Congressional District, known for turning advocacy into results, including helping secure funding for Rockford passenger rail and paving the way for the repeal of Illinois’s grocery tax pete4illinois.com - Email - Facebook
District 70 State Representative
Veronica Garcia-Martinez * Mother of three teenagers, a 5th-grade teacher, a small business owner, and a long-time resident of DeKalb County. Born in Chicago and raised in the Pilsen neighborhood, she grew up in an immigrant household where she learned the true meaning of community. 17 years in the nonprofit sector and six years as a bilingual and dual language teacher. Email - Facebook
McHenry County Board
County Board District 1
Deanna “Dee” Darling * Current Cary District 26 School Board Member. Focused on advocating for social services, championing public education, affordable housing availability, protecting natural resources, and transparency and accessibility. vote4darling@gmail.com
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County Board District 2
Gloria Van Hof * (i) A 50-year resident of McHenry County, mom, teacher, writer, previous business-owner, licensed Nursing Home Administrator, an Underground Railroad researcher and lecturer, and a volunteer and board member of numerous groups. Deep and wide community connections and top vote getter among Democratic County Board members in her last election. citizensforgloriavanhof@gmail.com - Facebook
County Board District 3
Carolyn “Lyn” Campbell * (i) Long-time advocate for the protection of our natural and agricultural resources, with proven support for the mental health community, common sense transportation solutions, public safety, and effective senior services. A former local government finance and administration professional, she is an advocate for a strong local economy as a means of reducing the overall tax burden on property owners. carolynlyncampbell.com - Email - Facebook
County Board District 4
Edward “Bud” Bowie * Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and former sanitation industry CEO, the analytical and planning skills honed by a long career in both government and private industry to ensure transparent fiscal responsibility, protect our Conservation Districts, preserve agriculture, promote responsible economic growth, and support fair-minded, unbiased County leadership that represents the interests of all residents.
County Board District 5
Austin May * Born and raised in McHenry County and a dedicated public servant, his background includes service in AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and as an Army Reserve officer. Focused on lowering our property taxes through improving infrastructure, supporting community health, and fiscal responsibility. abetterwaymc.com - Email - Facebook
County Board District 6
Sheryl Lindenbaum * Worked in the health insurance industry for over 40 years. Her focus is on resources and affordability of elder-care, assistance for family caregivers, women’s health, support for local farmers, sustainable growth, and creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of background, can participate fully and equitably in McHenry County. citizensforsheryl.com
County Board District 7
Patrick J. Shea * A career in the construction industry, including project managing and acting as crew foreman. His vision is to build McHenry County’s future with practical experience, responsible growth, and respect for our land and water. citizensforpatshea.com - Email
County Board District 8
Christy “Chris” Stevens * A resident of McHenry County since 1981, prior career in Information Technology, implementing e-Commerce websites for top 1000 retailers. Experience also includes a home-building business, giving her insight into the lack of workforce housing in our county, water quality, open land and conservation, maintaining agriculture, property taxes, economic opportunity/development, global warming impacts, and sustainable growth. citizensforpatshea.com - Email
County Board District 9
Christine B. Hamm * A nonprofit executive, community organizer, and advocate for inclusion and community empowerment who has called Huntley and McHenry County home for much of the past seventeen years. christine-hamm.com - Email - Facebook
Precinct Representative (Committeeman)
Candidates for the Democratic Party position of Precinct Representative (Committeeman) will be on the ballot in some precincts. Elected Precinct Reps will elect county party leadership at the Convention this Spring.
Illinois Student Scholarship Ballot Question
A Ballot Advisory Referendum asks if voters want Illinois to join a federal tax-credit scholarship program allowing private donations for K-12 tuition, books, tutoring, etc., for public, private, and homeschool students. This advisory vote only appears in some counties (around one-third, including McHenry County) and aims to gauge support for opting into the federal Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). Republicans want to boost support for a Federal voucher program in the form of a tax credit scholarship program, part of Trump’s infamous “Big Beautiful Bill” Each state can choose to opt in or opt out of the voucher program—Democratic led Illinois has not. They also hope will drive MAGA loyalists to turn out in support for Republican candidates who are in serious trouble. Vote No on this attack on Public Education.
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