Ahead of the March 17 primary election, the McHenry County GOPAC and the McHenry County Republican Party plan to give voters a chance in Crystal Lake Thursday to hear from candidates in a pair of contested McHenry County Board Republican primaries.
A separate forum Sunday in McHenry will feature GOP candidates for Illinois governor.
Voters will also get to hear from Republican candidates for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District and for the McHenry County Board, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22, which is free and open to the public. The district covers much of the western, central and eastern portions of McHenry County.
Plans for the event include a candidate meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m., followed by a moderated forum at 6 p.m.
During the forum, the committee will be asking the candidates questions, but submitted questions from the audience will be accepted if time allows, according to a news release. Audience questions will be vetted to make sure they’re relevant and not redundant, according to the release.
McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio is slated to be the master of ceremonies, according to a flier about the forum.
The forum will take place at Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake. After the forum, candidates will be on hand to talk to voters, and people can get candidate literature and campaign signs, according to the release.
In Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, which includes parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties, three candidates are seeking the GOP nomination.
Elburn Mayor Jeff Walter, Naperville resident Michael Pierce and Aurora resident Charlie Kim are the candidates after Republican Tedora M. Brown of Palos Park was removed from the ballot after being one signature short of the legally required 799, the Daily Herald reported. Elections officials expect Brown will appeal the decision.
Incumbent Rep. Bill Foster, a Naperville Democrat, is unopposed in the primary.
For McHenry County Board, voters in District 7, which is in central McHenry County and includes all or parts of Woodstock, McHenry, Wonder Lake, Bull Valley and Greenwood, have a contested GOP primary. Incumbent Republican Brian Sager of Woodstock is facing a primary challenge from Jeff Schwartz.
County Board District 8, which stretches across a large swath of northern and western McHenry County and includes all or parts of Harvard, Hebron, Richmond, Woodstock, Marengo and Spring Grove, is the other contested GOP primary seat.
Marty Mohr, Marengo Park District president and Marengo Planning & Zoning Commission chair, is challenging incumbent Republican Larry Smith of Harvard.
All of McHenry County’s countywide officeholders up for reelection this year including Tirio, Treasurer Donna Kurtz, Regional Superintendent of Schools Diana Hartmann and Sheriff Robb Tadelman, all Republicans, are seeking another term. None has a primary opponent, but Tirio and Kurtz are slated to have Democratic opponents in the November general election.
Eight of the nine McHenry County Board members up for reelection this year are seeking another term. The exception is Huntley Republican Michael Skala from District 9 in the southwestern part of the county. Former Huntley Trustee Niko Kanakaris filed for the GOP nomination.
Republicans enjoy a 15-3 supermajority on the county board.
A few days later, voters can hear from most of the Republicans running for governor in Illinois.
There will be a forum Sunday, Jan. 25 hosted by the GOP Voter Information Project featuring Republican candidates, former Wirepoints chief Ted Dabrowski and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, who are running for governor. Aaron Del Mar, who is gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s running mate and the Cook County Republican Party Chair, is also expected to be at the forum. Bailey was the GOP nominee for governor in 2022.
Dabrowski, Mendrick and Bailey are three of the four Republicans still running for governor. The other is video gambling business owner Rick Heidner of Barrington Hills. Seven Republicans initially filed to run for the seat, but two have been removed from the ballot and a third candidate withdrew, according to the Daily Herald.
The gubernatorial forum will be held at The Vixen, 1208 N. Green Street, McHenry. Doors will open at 3:30 p.m., with the forum starting at 4 p.m. A candidate meet-and-greet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Tirio is also the emcee for that event.
Tickets are available on the GOP Voter Information Project website at gopvip.com/forum/.