The Barrington Area Democratic Organization condemned attack mailers from Erin Chan Ding’s campaign for the Democratic nod in the Illinois House 52nd District primary.
The mailers altered opponent Maria Peterson’s image, placing her head on another person’s body. They also included the phrase, “When Maria Peterson runs, MAGA wins,” along with a list of her past election losses.
“These tactics do not reflect the values of our organization or the spirit of Democratic leadership in our community,” organization officials stated in a news release.
Chan Ding and Peterson are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin in the fall election. Peterson narrowly lost to McLaughlin by 47 votes in 2024 and lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in 2022.
Peterson called the mailers “Chicago-style politics” that don’t “fit very well out here.”
Chan Ding countered, claiming Peterson distributed an attack ad first in January that “went after my character.” Chan Ding is a Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board member who was criticized by colleagues after an investigation determined she had violated district policies by using school resources, property and social media for prohibited political campaign activities.
“We had every intention of running a positive campaign, and when we saw that attack on my character, we (felt) we need to make a case,” Chan Ding said.
Peterson said her January mailer was merely “a contrast piece” that mentioned the results of the district’s investigation.
“There was no personal attack on her,” Peterson said. “It was just knowledge that needed to be brought in front of the voters.”
Chan Ding noted there are connections between Peterson’s campaign and the Barrington Area Democratic Organization. The organization’s president, Lindsay Prigge, is working for the Peterson campaign, while Prigge’s husband, Barrington village board member Brian Prigge, is the campaign treasurer.
Brian Prigge noted the entire Democratic organization board provided input and approved the news release before it was sent. He added he and his wife supported Chan Ding’s school board run.
District 52 includes Island Lake, Cary, Algonquin, Fox River Grove, Inverness, Volo and Wauconda as well as parts of Libertyville and Mundelein.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260227/illinois-state-politics/barrington-area-democrats-condemn-chan-ding-mailers/