More than a week out from the primary, the dust seems to have settled for two Lake County Board primaries, with District 16 incumbent Esiah Campos and Republican District 17 nominee Joe Salvi heading to face their November challengers.
The two races were the most unusual of the Lake County board election cycle, involving court orders, last-minute decisions, and accusations of political “shenanigans.”
While some minor questions still remain for the District 16 race, Campos has been sent to the general election with about 1,300 votes according to unofficial results. For reference, that’s almost the same as the total votes cast in the 2022 District 16 primary, which had then-newcomer Campos receiving just over 700 votes.
The race saw on-again off-again challenger Juan Beto Ruiz ultimately removed from the ballot due to a missing maternal surname on his nomination petitions.
With his opponent removed from the ballot, Campos is the de facto winner, but he also claimed a numerical win on his social media, saying projections indicated about 2,130 votes total in the district, meaning he received about 58% of the votes.
But in the same post, Campos acknowledged “tensions” that the race had generated and the criticisms he faced during the campaign, pledging to grow and serve the community better.
He alluded to Operation Midway Blitz, the federal immigration campaign targeting Chicago that swept up surrounding communities including in Lake County, and said it was important to present a “united front,” to the challenges the community faces.
“Now more than ever, we cannot allow ourselves to be divided. These are real challenges facing our community, and they require unity, not division. We are stronger together,” Campos said.
The count of votes cast for Ruiz — all of which are uncertified due to a court decision — is still not public. Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega has said he was working with the State’s Attorney to determine if releasing the count would go against the court order striking Ruiz from the ballot.
No Republican challenger is currently on the ballot for District 16.
In District 17, Eleanor Sweet McDonnell sent a statement conceding the race to Joe Salvi, congratulating the young Republican who, according to unofficial results received, just under 1,600 votes. In the 2022 primary, incumbent Michael Danforth received about 2,700 votes.
Despite her record in politics, McDonnell ran as a write-in, a situation she had attributed to behind-the-scenes “shenanigans” between the outgoing Michael Danforth and Salvi, a framing Danforth pushed back on.
In her concession statement, McDonnell said her campaign had been to provide Republican voters with a choice to fill the open seat, thanking her supporters.
“The results are not as important to me as the principles that guided my decision to go full steam ahead. I chose to enter ‘the arena’ as Teddy Roosevelt referred to the rough and tumble of politics and I am thankful that I waged that battle for the residents of District 17,” she said.
Salvi will be facing Democratic challenger Mary Mesa in November.
