Aurora Mayor Irvin Attempts to Hold Off Dem Onslaught
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin campaigns for Governor in 2022.
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Some of the largest cities in the state hold mayoral elections Tuesday, but the money and attention paid to Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign for re-election dwarfs other communities.
Aurora
Irvin, seeking a third term leading the second largest city in the state, is facing hundreds of thousands in spending from state Democrats.
Irvin ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for Governor in 2022, finishing third in the primary even with $50 million in support from billionaire Ken Griffin. Another $30 million in spending from Gov. JB Pritzker, mostly attacking Irvin, helped boost conservative Sen. Darren Bailey to a primary victory.
Democrats are putting Irvin in their sights, throwing buckets of money at Aurora Alderman John Laesch. In the last month, the state Democrats have spent over $110,000 in direct mail for Laesch and against Irvin. The Democratic Party of Illinois has spent another $30,000 in digital ads and $18,000 in polling in the race.
The Illinois GOP, meanwhile, have spent $0 on behalf of Irvin, who kept much of the party apparatus, especially Donald Trump, at arms length during his run for Governor.
Operating Engineers Local 150 has been spending money on Irvin’s behalf in the race, though those figures have not been reported to the State Board of Elections as of Monday night.
Rockford
Democrat Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara is widely expected to win his third term in the state’s fifth largest city. He faces independent candidate Derrick Kunz today. (Rockford has partisan city elections.) No Republican appears on the ballot.
Peoria
Incumbent Mayor Rita Ali is seeking a second term against incumbent City Council member John Kelly. The race has been contentious, including with some controversial new mail in recent days.
Waukegan
In the state’s tenth largest city, incumbent Independent Ann Taylor faces the man she defeated four years ago, Democrat Sam Cunningham. Republican Harold Beadling and independent Keith Turner are also on the ballot.
Bloomington
Incumbent Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe faces a challenge from councilman Cody Hendricks and longtime Republican State Representative Dan Brady. Hendricks, a progressive, has taken aim at Brady recently, tying the traditionally moderate Republican to Donald Trump. Brady lost a statewide race for Secretary of State in 2022.
