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

WHEATON, IL — DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek claims 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.

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 claims 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.

The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC shared the following statement,

“The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PACs involvement in Paula Deacon Garcias campaign complied with applicable campaign finance laws and reporting requirements. Any assertion that it did not is false and misleading.

Between January and March 2026, the PAC made ten in-kind contributions to Citizens for Paula Deacon Garcia. For each contribution, the PAC mailed the required in-kind contribution notice to the campaign within the applicable five day reporting period.

The PAC also disclosed its expenditure through its required quarterly campaign finance report in accordance with the reporting schedule established by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Due to the reporting schedule, first-quarter 2026 expenditures did not appear on the PACs public quarterly report until after the March primary election.

At every stage, the PAC followed the applicable notification and disclosure requirements. Any suggestion that these expenditures were hidden or improperly withheld from public disclosure mischaracterizes both the facts and the campaign finance reporting process established under Illinois law.”