CONTACT:
Gwen Pepin
[email protected]
Lombard, IL — Today, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez was joined at Laborer’s Local 68 by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch, newly elected Addison Township Supervisor Bobby Hernandez, DuPage County Democratic Party Chair Reid McCollum, and DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy to highlight the overwhelming success of DPI-supported Democrats in the April 1 consolidated municipal elections. The leaders discussed how local democrats in DuPage–and across the state—have built a strategy to win local power and how the Party will continue this momentum in 2026 and beyond.
“This didn’t happen by chance—we won by building real partnerships, not just in DuPage County, but across Illinois. We invested early, stayed focused, and stood with our local leaders every step of the way,” DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez said. “As we face growing threats of chaos and uncertainty, these local elections matter more than ever—these victories give us the infrastructure, the momentum, and the organizing power to meet this moment and continue electing strong local leaders across Illinois.”
“Democrats are putting in the hours across Illinois to ensure that no matter where you are—there are local leaders fighting to better our communities,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. “I’m excited to work in partnership with newly elected Democrats here in DuPage and across the state to deliver results for working families.”
This municipal cycle, as national politics dominate the political ecosystem and impact the daily lives of working Illinoisans, DPI built upon 2023’s program to continue defending its values and meet voters where they are.
DPI and the DuPage County Democratic Party collaborated throughout the cycle, sharing data, coordinating messaging, recruiting strong candidates, and putting resources where they were needed most. As a result, Democrats won a clean sweep, 49 of 49 races in DuPage county. In fact, out of the 280 candidates DPI supported across Illinois, 222 won their races—a 79 percent success rate–which is a six percent increase from the last municipal cycle.
“On April 1, we ran 49 Democrats and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them won,” said DuPage County Democratic Party Chair Reid McCollum. “This unprecedented election sweep was decades in the making. But it came down to teamwork and hard work.”
“What a journey DuPage County has been on. A few years ago the County was seen as Republican territory,” said DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy. “By working together and building trust in our communities, we’ve changed that.”
“When I first got into politics here in DuPage County, it was considered the heart of the Illinois Republican Party,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. “We will build on this remarkable transformation by governing with compassion and delivering in our communities.”
“We ran a people-powered campaign at the grassroots level and with the added support from the Democratic Party of Illinois, we were able to unseat a Trump-aligned Republican,” said Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch. “You can bet that this union carpenter will be fighting to protect our city and fighting for working families.”
The Party’s mail and digital advertising investment reached hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters in target regions across Illinois, and highlighted the Trump–aligned conservatives on the ballot, as well as supported the credible, commonsense community advocates that DPI recommends. As part of the program, DPI launched https://votelocalillinois.com/, a candidate lookup tool to help voters find and support endorsed Democrats in their communities. In addition to supporting candidates already on the ballot, DPI and Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association (IDCCA)’s candidate recruitment program helped ensure that strong Democrats step up to run for local office in future cycles.
