Elmhurst House Race: How Many Big Macs Could Hopefuls' Money Buy?

ELMHURST, IL – The two candidates in the Elmhurst-based state House district pulled in $638,473 in reported donations so far.

That's a lot, compared to most districts. But it's still considerably less than two years ago.

Republican State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi is facing Democrat Jenn Ladisch Douglass in Tuesday's election. Both live in Elmhurst.

According to state Board of Elections reports, Mazzochi has raised $323,015 this election cycle, which includes $150,000 that the lawmaker donated to her own campaign.

Douglass has pulled in $315,458, with much of her money coming from state Democratic groups.

For both candidates, the total is $638,473.

With that amount, the candidates could have bought a large Big Mac meal for all 45,000 residents of Elmhurst (most of which District 45 includes), plus another 19,000 for others in the district.

Those meals would be at the going rate of $9.93 at the McDonald's on York Street in Elmhurst. (That's up 14 percent from the Big Mac meal price of $8.71 just before the election two years ago, likely the result of inflation.)

In 2020, Mazzochi and her Democratic opponent, Jennifer Zordani of Clarendon Hills, pulled in a combined $1,036,000, about $400,000 more than this year's contest.

In recent years, the Elmhurst-based House district has been seen as a battleground. But Mazzochi took 54 percent of the vote in 2020 against Clarendon Hills Democrat Jennifer Zordani, who took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Democratic organizations. And that was considered a good year for Democrats nationwide, especially in suburbs.

With President Joe Biden's approval ratings sagging, Mazzochi is likely running in a better environment this time around.

Mazzochi has been a critic of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's policies, including on the pandemic and budget. She also called for Elmhurst School District 205 to "clean house," taking issue with York High's curriculum.

Douglass has run a commercial against Mazzochi for her pro-life position on abortion.

The two had a chance to debate in September, but the League of Women Voters of Elmhurst said Mazzochi never responded to its invitation.