Former Kane County Coroner Rob Russell is the latest candidate to enter the race for Kane County sheriff in the 2026 election, per a Facebook post from Russell last week.
Russell, a Republican, served as the county’s coroner from 2012 to 2024, when he lost reelection to Democratic challenger Monica Silva. Before that, he worked in the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. Currently, he works part-time as an officer for the Hampshire Police Department, and provides consulting services to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office for its forensics lab project.
He’s the latest candidate joining a growing field vying for Kane County sheriff in the 2026 election.
There’s current Undersheriff Amy Johnson running as a Democrat, according to past reporting. Salvador Rodriguez, who previously worked in the Sheriff’s Office, is also running as a Democrat. And Luis Santoyo, a current Elburn village trustee, has joined the race as a Republican.
Russell is hosting an official campaign launch on Aug. 13 at McNally’s Irish Pub in St. Charles, per the Facebook announcement.
Russell, 57, pointed to his experience in county law enforcement as part of his qualifications for the seat, as well as the initiatives he oversaw during his time as coroner.
For example, during his time in the Coroner’s Office, it was accredited by the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. Kane County was the first office in the state to be accredited by the association, according to its website, and is one of only four Illinois offices currently accredited by the group.
This is not Russell’s first time vying for the sheriff’s job, however. He ran unsuccessfully in 2010, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections, but said he “didn’t have the name recognition then.”
This time around, Russell said a major focus if he’s elected sheriff would be to oversee the county’s forensics lab renovation project.
The county’s in-house forensic science lab had already begun operating during Russell’s time as coroner out of the Sheriff’s Office building in Geneva, according to past reporting. Last year, the county received $1 million from the federal government to expand the lab, with the goal of it one day functioning as a “full-service” regional hub for DNA and drug testing.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain told The Beacon-News construction has begun on the full build-out of the lab after the Kane County Board approved the spending of over $1.2 million in funding for it in June.
Conducting tests in-house is meant to speed up the process for getting test results, Russell explained, rather than having to send them out of state.
“I see a lot of potential for it,” Russell said on Thursday, also noting the possibility of the lab generating revenue for the county. “Not only serving the public here, but also serving the immediate region.”
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
