'I Was Cheated Out Of A Fair Playing Field:' DuPage County Clerk

WHEATON, IL — DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek is alleging that campaign finance violations were made involving contributions that were made to support Paula Deacon Garcia in the March 2026 primary race for county clerk. Deacon Garcia won the nomination with more than 56 percent of the vote.

Kaczmarek said she plans to file a complaint.

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According to a news release from Kaczmarek's office, the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) shows that the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC gave $18,905.05 in support of Deacon Garcia. Kaczmarek alleges that this contribution was not reported until after the primary election.

In a statement, Kaczmarek said,

"I learned this weekend that my opponent was the beneficiary of tens of thousands of dollars of illegally unreported campaign spending. As County Clerk, and as a voting rights activist beforehand, I have devoted my life to ensuring free and fair elections for all. It is infuriating and heartbreaking to learn that in my own candidacy, I was cheated out of a fair playing field. The voters were cheated out of a fair playing field as well. If there's any office for which candidates should be held to the highest standards of integrity and compliance with the law, it would be the one that is responsible for honestly running elections."

According to Kaczmarek, Deacon Garcia reported a contribution from Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC for "campaign work on 3/18/2026" in the amount of $1,354.50.

Kaczmarek alleges this contribution was not included during a quarterly disclosure report filed by Deacon Garcia in mid-April. She alleges that another contribution of $904.95 for "campaign work on 3/12/2026" from the PAC was reported by Deacon Garcia on July 15.

"As soon as the election was over, all of a sudden Paula and the Operators knew how to report an in-kind contribution. Isn't it funny how that works?" Kaczmarek said. "How can you hold yourself up as a person who can be trusted to run clean elections when you won your own race in a dirty way? Paula bragged about her transparency during the campaign while the spending on her behalf was literally being hidden."

Patch reached out to Deacon Garcia's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.