Salvador Rodriguez, Luis Santoyo join the 2026 race for Kane County sheriff
Two more candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to be elected Kane County sheriff in 2026, as current Sheriff Ron Hain prepares to retire when his term ends next year.
Earlier this month, Kane County Undersheriff Amy Johnson announced her intention to run for sheriff — with Hain's support.
So far, she faces two opponents, including a primary challenger.
Salvador Rodriguez of Sugar Grove, who previously worked in the Kane County Sheriff's Office, has announced he is running for sheriff as a Democrat against Johnson.
Luis Santoyo, a current Elburn village trustee, has announced he is running as a Republican for sheriff in the 2026 election.
Rodriguez retired from the Kane County Sheriff's Office, where he said he worked for nearly 30 years and held a number of different positions — such as a patrol deputy, field training officer, K-9 handler, a sergeant in the Office of Professional Standards and a public safety police lieutenant, according to his campaign website.
He said he was involved with the office's Explorer Post Program and also helped develop the office's Cadet Program, which gives individuals ages 17-20 insights into how the department operates and provides entry-level deputy sheriff training.
Rodriguez said he has been planning to run for sheriff since last spring. He filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections in October, and has begun to accept campaign contributions, according to records from the state Board of Elections.
His top goal is to provide leadership 'rooted in real community involvement,' he said on Monday, like facilitating talks with the community and partnering with local police departments.
'Everything from coffee with a cop to putting on programs where we come together with the youth,' he said.
He said forming relationships with local communities could increase the likelihood that community members will call law enforcement when problems arise.
'Especially over on the East Side of Aurora, where it's low-income housing, where we're the busiest … one of the events that I want to do is to get some of us in uniform, go out there, knock on their doors and talk to them — and not in our (squad cars) where they're going to be intimidated, but us on foot in the neighborhood talking to everybody.'
If elected sheriff, Rodriguez also plans to respond to what he called in a press release announcing his bid for sheriff 'the national disregard for the rule of law.'
'I think, nationally, there's just this whirlwind of uncertainty and things that aren't being enforced and are being enforced,' he said. 'I will not waver under any type of pressure from the federal government, federal police or just in general.'
Rodriguez is also a Democratic precinct committeeman for Sugar Grove Township and a member of the Western Kane Democrats, according to Monday's press release. He's worked as an adjunct professor at Aurora University, he said, and attended schools in Aurora and Naperville as well as Aurora University.
Also in the race is Luis Santoyo of Elburn, who's running as a Republican per the Illinois State Board of Elections. He filed his statement of organization on April 16.
According to Santoyo's campaign website, he was born in Mexico and grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. He previously worked as a detective in the Cook County Sheriff's Department, having investigated crimes like child exploitation and gang violence and serving as a forensic artist, hostage negotiator and dignitary protection specialist. He has also worked with immigrant and underserved communities, his website says.
In 2023, he was elected an Elburn village trustee.
The mid-term elections will take place on Nov. 3, 2026, with the primary election next April.
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