4 days ago
Column: Lake County treasurer has hopes for statewide post
Democratic elected officials across Illinois are lined up for political chess games, moving in all different directions on the state board, lining up their futures for the 2026 elections. Many are vying, few will be knighted.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, kicked off the match as the 80-year-old announced in April he would not seek re-election to another six-year term, bringing out what is now a three-person field to take his seat.
In May, 9th Congressional District Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, said she would not run for another term in the district that includes a slice of Lake County. Her announcement has created a crowded field of candidates.
Then last week, Susana Mendoza of Chicago, the popular three-term incumbent Illinois comptroller and the state's highest-ranking Hispanic official, announced she was retiring. That opened up another statewide seat, so far bringing out four hopefuls seeking to replace her.
One of those candidates is two-term Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim of Mundelein, a former village trustee. Before that, she was a business management professional in the nonprofit, public and private sectors.
Other candidates include state Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago; state Sen. Karina Villa of West Chicago, supported by state Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park; and Champaign County Auditor George Danos. There may be others waiting in the wings for the March 17, 2026 party primary. The general election is Nov. 3.
Cook County Democratic Party slatemakers last week endorsed by a slight margin Croke, who is backed for the post by Illinois House Speaker Emanual Welch of Hillside. It is expected their Lake County counterparts will support Kim.
Harmon made an unsuccessful attempt to reverse Croke's endorsement, the Chicago Tribune reported. He noted the endorsed statewide party slate had no Latino or Asian representation or anyone from outside Chicago, and warned, 'I think this is a problem for us as Democrats.'
That may be a predicament for Dems, but the statewide Republican Party has another dilemma: Waking from its moribund condition and fielding a solid statewide and countywide slate of candidates.
At the Cook County session, Kim stressed her background in technology and pledged to bring 'innovation and modernize how we manage money in the state,' according to the Tribune. 'These are unprecedented times, and people we love are afraid, and we need a fighter at every level.'
In emailed answers to questions from the Tribune, Kim said she can provide 'a local executive's perspective' to the comptroller's job. She said she wants to run for the office because she thinks it needs someone who understands how to responsibly manage public dollars.
'This isn't just the next step on the political ladder for me — it's a continuation of the work I've already been doing,' Kim told the Tribune. 'As Lake County treasurer, I've managed over $3 billion in taxpayer funds, launched financial education programs, and modernized how we serve the public. I've thought seriously about running for this office ever since it became clear Comptroller Mendoza wouldn't be seeking re-election.'
For Kim, though, it is a heavy lift in a statewide contest. Few Lake County officials have made the next step. The state's political boneyard has a number of Lake County candidates residing there.
Such as former Sheriff Mark Curran of Libertyville, who lost to Durbin in the 2020 general election. He also failed in a run for the Illinois Supreme Court in the 2022 general election to Democrat Elizabeth Rochford, who had defeated Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering in the party primary.
Further back, state Sen. Grace Mary Stern of Highland Park, ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket in 1982 led by Adlai Stevenson III. The duo narrowly lost to incumbent Gov. James Thompson and his running mate George Ryan, who eventually became governor.
Further back, the well-liked state Sen. Adeleine Geo-Karis, R-Zion, lost out in a try for the comptroller's seat in 1986. She was beaten decisively by incumbent Democrat Roland Burris, who eventually ended up a U.S. senator.
Successful statewide candidates from the county included Ryan's running mate when he ran for governor in 1998, state Rep. Corinne Wood, R-Lake Forest, who became the state's first female lieutenant governor. Ryan and Wood decided not to run for re-election in 2002.
Ingleside's William Stratton, a Republican, was elected Illinois governor in 1952, serving two terms until his defeat for an unprecedented third term in 1960 by Democrat Otto Kerner. At the time, Stratton was the youngest governor in the U.S.
His imprint on the state is the beginning of the Illinois tollway system. Stratton Lock and Dam on the Fox River is named for him, as is William G. Stratton State Park in Morris on the Illinois River.
First day to circulate petitions for established-party candidates in next year's elections begins Aug. 5, with petition-filing running from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Kim hasn't said if she will seek a third term in her Lake County post while running for the state job. If she decides to forgo re-election in the treasurer's race, that could open up a countywide scramble for the seat, meaning some folks already are planning their opening gambits on the political chess board.
