Illinois GOP’s Losing Streak Continues: Corruption, Negligence, or Both?

The ILGOP’s so-called leadership keeps losing elections, dodging accountability, and cozying up to Democrats. Maybe that’s not a coincidence.

A recurring theme at Illinois Record is that many Illinois GOP officials seem to have motives that don’t align with actually winning elections.

One major red flag? When a Republican runs unopposed in a race where Democrats could have easily fielded a challenger.

Facebook / Aaron Del Mar’s watch party for his uncontested election at Chicago Prime Steakhouse

To his credit, Palatine GOP Chair and adult entertainment entrepreneur Aaron Del Mar (SoulRaper.com, ChicagoTryst.com) at least admitted to conspiring with Democrats to secure an uncontested win for a low-effort position that personally nets him around $20,000 a year. But the public hasn’t received similar explanations from officials in Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Wheeling, and Schaumburg—areas that vote Democrat yet mysteriously elected "Republicans" to paid township government positions without a single Democrat on the ballot.

Breakthrough Ideas / Jeanne DEIves articl on Del Mar’s deal with the Dems

Internet Archive of the single page of Aaron Del Mar’s Soul Raper.com

Elk Grove Village 2025 vs 2024 election results

Schaumburg 2025 vs Schaumburg 2024

Elgin 2024 vs 2025 election results

Even in technically nonpartisan mayoral races, suspicious patterns emerge. Casey Urlacher and Greg Hart—both marketed as Republicans—ran unopposed in liberal-leaning towns, Hinsdale and Metawa respectfully. These are high-profile, controversial figures that should have drawn Democratic challengers. Yet, they didn’t.

Facebook / Greg Hart Chaired the controversial ILGOP Bank the Vote Gala

In right-leaning areas like Bloomingdale, Illinois Record finds it questionable that no Democrat challenged Bloomingdale GOP Chair John Dabrowski for the assessor’s office—a six-figure position.

Over in Wheeling Township, Illinois Record previously reported that Chair Kathy Penner—who had run unopposed before—would face a challenger if she failed to block Republican Michelle Hunter from appearing on the trustee ballot. Sure enough, Penner had competition and lost her $38,000 township gig. But for some reason, Democrats had no issue letting her fellow "Republicans" Ken Joachum and Joanna Gauza slide through unopposed.

While Cook and the collar counties suffered the worst GOP losses, Republicans were decimated statewide. Trump secured 45% of the vote in Illinois in 2024, yet by 2025, Republicans had lost 70% of their races.

At this point, Illinois Record's thesis of corruption is almost kinder than the alternative—extreme negligence. Since local races typically see voter turnout between 5-20%, they are less about reflecting public sentiment and more about testing a party’s ability to organize and turn out voters. By that measure, the Illinois GOP’s election apparatus is an unmitigated disaster.

Even DuPage County GOP Chair Kevin Coyne admitted as much, publicly agreeing with our assessment. But rather than offer an apology or any self-reflection after overseeing an abysmal 0-41 record, Coyne was off enjoying a cruise while his party burned.

Facebook/ DuPage County Republicans

Facebook / Kevin Coyne the eve of election day

Facebook/ a DuPage Republican complains about the GOP’s lack of electioneering

Then there’s ILGOP Chair Kathy Salvi, whose own “Nero fiddling while Rome burns” moment came as she appeared on Fox News on election day incoherently grandstanding while the party collapsed around her. Illinois Record has long documented concerns about Salvi’s inability to articulate a coherent message, and now that perception has extended beyond political insiders and into the general public.

Fox News/ April 1st which was also election day

Capitol Fax / Comments from a recent article asking readers to “rate Kathy Salvi’s interview”

Other Republican "leaders" who went down in flames include Barrington GOP Chair Peter Kopsaftis, two-time election loser and 2026 congressional hopeful James Marter, former gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin, and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau—delivering a devastating blow to their political ambitions.

Christine Clausen, a self-proclaimed grassroots leader, couldn’t even secure a re-election win for Steve Balich—despite the fact that his opponents, the "Reset Slate," had open support from the Homer Glen Democratic Party. Worse yet, Balich only needed to win the Republican primary to stay in office.

Facebook / Steve Balich poses with Kevin Coyne (right). Coyne, Kathy Salvi, Christina Clausen,, and many other ILGOP leaders alleged to be helping Coyne fight off the Democrat Party’s plan to beat a Republican in a Republican Primary.

Marter, who is still being propped up as a GOP Candidate for 2026, didn’t just lose—he lost twice in one day, failing in both the Oswego Public Library and school board races.

As for Pekau and Irvin, after benefiting from tens of millions in GOP donor cash, their exit from the political scene might be the only silver lining in this Republican wipeout.

The failures don’t stop at the ballot box. GOP leadership in these counties has been plagued by ethical scandals. Read our reports on Cook County GOP Chair Sean Morrison’s written defense of a pedophile, Lake County GOP’s Keith Brin allegedly trying to “sell” a state Senate seat, and the Kane County GOP Chair’s repeated lies.

Yet, despite all this, rank-and-file Republicans have yet to censure a single one of these failed, compromised leaders. But after yesterday’s devastating losses, maybe—just maybe—true conservatives will finally wake up, reconnect with voters, and start holding their so-called leaders accountable. Because if GOP leaders are willing to play along, Democrats certainly won’t be the ones to stop them.