Inside DuPage County Sheriff Mendrick’s Social Media Meltdown

Is James Mendrick's Illinois Governor Campaign unraveling in real time?

The James Mendrick for Governor campaign claims to be “running without establishment support.”

Facebook / Burt Minor. Left to right Chairman Dan Cronin, Burt Minor, James Mendrick, State Rep Patti Bellock and state rep David S. Olsen

However, campaign disclosures reveal that Mendrick is primarily funded by longtime “establishment” politician Dan Cronin—a former state representative, state senator, and DuPage County chairman—along with leftover funds from his controversial sheriff campaign fund.

ABC News/ Mendrick election story by Sarah Schulte

When Mendrick ran for DuPage County Sheriff, he was criticized for being funded by “a registered sex offender” and “vendors hired by the county”..

A closer look at Mendrick’s finances reveals backing from several auto body shops, sanitation and recycling companies, trucking and packaging businesses, and shipping companies—including those with an international focus—along with other industries often linked to money laundering or benefiting from a sheriff’s protection.

Although the Illinois Record makes no accusations against any of the companies that have donated to Sheriff Mendrick’s campaign, we acknowledge that the optics are troubling—especially for a sheriff tasked with maintaining law and order.

Facebook / The Profile picture of one of the business owners who backed Mendrick Campaign for Dupage County Sheriff. Face intentionally blurred.

Since announcing his candidacy, Mendrick has only raised $6,000—an amount woefully insufficient to sustain a statewide campaign for governor.

Illinois Sunshine/ James Mendrick only reported 2 donations in March despite announcing and later announcing a LT GOV Candidate

Republican insiders claim Mendrick is burning through cash, and his campaign may be at risk of failing to achieve the costly task of actually appearing on the ballot.

Chicago Sun Times/ Staff Report about Jesse Sullivans 11 million dollar first week as a GOP Governor Candidate

For comparison, Jesse Sullivan—who ranked third in spending among GOP candidates in the last gubernatorial race—raised $11 million in his first week and still struggled to get on the ballot, a notoriously costly and difficult process

Illinois Review reported that Dick Uihlein proxy Jeanne Ives was backing Mendrick—only for her to later deny the endorsement and call the Illinois Review a “gossip rag”.

Illinois Review’s initial report of an Ives endorsement of Mendrick for Governor

Facebook / Jeanne Ives

As J.B. Pritzker prepares to officially decide on running for re-election, serious candidates will enter the race, leaving Mendrick in the dust.

But we’ve heard a rumored theory: Mendrick’s campaign isn’t about winning—it’s about not running for re-election as DuPage County Sheriff. An election he would likely lose.

Mendrick’s tenure as sheriff has been riddled with controversy, including, most recently, agreeing to pay an $11 million settlement for the wrongful death of a 50 year old mother.

Chicago Tribune Coverage of Sheriff Mendrick settling for the wrongful death of a 50 year old mother

If Mendrick’s goal is to exit law enforcement without facing a humiliating loss in 2026, a doomed gubernatorial campaign might be his way out—while also enjoying free dinners across the state with political ally and alleged drinking buddy Val Ojeda.

The Illinois Records coverage of Val Ojeda.

The Illinois Record takes hate crime allegations seriously. That’s why we investigated Sheriff Mendrick’s claims with an open mind, following journalistic protocols—contacting Mendrick and his team, filing open records requests, and reviewing all available evidence.

Illinois Record FOIA Requests

Our conclusion was not our desired conclusion. The facts overwhelmingly suggest a hoax designed to drum up attention for a failing campaign.

In response to our article, Mendrick had a meltdown, posting a defamatory statement across three social media platforms. Once again, he painted himself as a brave victim with strong values, claiming he wouldn’t wish “horrible verbiage… on his worst enemy.” Then, in a blatant contradiction, he proceeded to call the author of this article “evil,” a “devoid of morality” and a “powder keg” that he called on his followers to “light up”—rhetoric that mirrors the very toxic political discourse he claims to condemn.

Sheriff Mendrick posted above to his campaign Facebook account, personal facebook account and Linkedin

Mendrick then made a baseless accusation that the author of this article is engaged in a conspiracy “led by” Terry Newsome—a local activist who has previously criticized Illinois Record for using a Southern Poverty Law hyperlink in an article.

The Illinois Record rebukes Mendrick’s ridiculous conspiracy theory and believe it is unbecoming behavior of a potential governor.

In fact, Terry Newsome is known for documenting Mendrick’s “bad verbiage” and bullying toward him on The Gateway Pundit.

The Gateway Pundit Story detailing Terry Newsome allegations of harrasment from Sheriff Mendricks

The most glaring hole in Mendrick’s response was his lack of denial of any of the specific claims raised—from serious issues, like Woodridge PD records contradicting his claim of an “open investigation,” to trivial ones, like his prolific Xbox gamertag being “tyme to die.”

Mendrick also mischaracterized legitimate scrutiny as an attack on his family. His wife appears to operate the official campaign phone line, she serves as its treasurer, and she is widely known to be the brains behind his campaigns.

Illinois Sunshine/ Officers of Mendrick’s Governor campaign Committee

Facebook / Jammes Mendrick

Personal text messages from Robert Renteria

Mendrick himself put his wife at the center of the alleged hate crime incident. And when a constituent reached out to her, it was out of concern—not bullying.

Mendrick’s wife confirming the presence of an operating security camera was critical evidence. Her statements about rain and a busy street preventing usable footage were important to report, as they further highlighted inconsistencies in Mendrick’s story. As online weather records for the area show 0% precipitation for both the day of and the day before the alleged hate crime.

Sheriff Mendrick’s wife/Campaign Treasurer/ Chief Campaign Strategist Cynthia Mendrick’s messaged to a concerned fan

weather reports show 0% precipitation the day of and the day before the alleged incident

James Mendrick’s campaign is built on contradictions, exaggerations, and outright fabrications.

For example, his campaign even refers to his running mate, Robert Renteria, as “Dr.,” despite his only credential being an honorary doctorate from a Mexican university—awarded while he was in Sacrimento—in a field the university does not appear to offer doctorates in at this time.

Facebook / James Mendrick referring to Robert Renteria as a “Dr”.

Robert Rentaria PRNEWSWIRE press release on receiving an honorary doctorate in Sacramento

Ibero University, Mexico City doctorate offerings. Renterio does openly claims to have only an honorary doctorate, but the Illinois Record condemns the use of “Dr.” out of the respect to those who spent years of study and an unfathomable amount of money to earn a doctorate degree.

Instead of clarifying his story, Mendrick smears his critics and dodges the facts. And while he threatens to “light the wick on this powder keg,” the only thing exploding is his credibility.

One of the names Sheriff Mendrick called out, Joe Severino—a likely primary opponent—has offered to sponsor a polygraph test. Illinois Record doesn’t fully endorse the idea, given polygraphs can be beaten, but it’s still a step in the right direction.