Rockford Area Republican Primary Voter Guide – March 17, 2026

Local County & Questions

6. County Offices (District 8 Specific)

• County Board District 8: Chad Bryden (Republican – unopposed). Local conservative focused on reducing taxes and government waste.
  Recommended candidate: Chad Bryden.
  (Note: District 8 only – other precincts have different board races.)
• Precinct Committeeperson – Ward 1 Precinct 4: Danette Maynard (Republican – unopposed). Grassroots GOP organizer.
  Recommended candidate: Danette Maynard.

7. Other Unopposed or Low-Profile Races

Vote these Republicans to support the party line:

• County Clerk: Lori Gummow
• Sheriff: Gary Caruana (law-and-order focus)
• Regional Superintendent of Schools: Scott Bloomquist
• Secretary of State: Walter Adamczyk or Diane M. Harris (pick one)
• Comptroller: Bryan Drew
• Attorney General: Robert W. Fioretti

Leave true blanks (e.g., Treasurer, Judicial vacancy for Hon. John S. Lowry) unmarked – no candidate filed.

8. Public Questions (Countywide – Back of Ballot)

• Advisory Referendum on Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
  “Should Illinois opt into a federal program that would provide Public K-12, private school, and homeschool students with privately-donated funds for academic needs...?”
  Recommended: YES (supports school choice and family options).
• Proposition to Impose 1% County Sales Tax for Schools
  “Shall a 1% retailers’ occupation tax and service occupation tax be imposed in Winnebago County... exclusively for school facility purposes, school resource officers, and mental health professionals?”
  Recommended: NO (new sales tax adds to Illinois burden with no guaranteed property tax relief).

TL;DR Recommended Ticket

(MAGA pro-Trump, Christian conservative, anti-Pritzker taxes & corruption – copy-paste this for the group):

1. Governor: Darren Bailey
2. US Senate: Don Tracy
3. US House: Darin LaHood
4. State Senate: Dave Syverson
5. State House: Joe C. Sosnowski
6. County Board Dist 8: Chad Bryden
7. Precinct Committeeperson: Danette Maynard
8. Public Questions: YES on federal scholarship credit; NO on county sales tax.

(Other unopposed races: Vote the listed Republicans.)

Polls close at 7:00 PM today. Print your sample ballot from voterockfordil.gov if needed. God bless Rockford – go vote strong and let's start taking Illinois back! 🇺🇸 Share with the group chat and hit the polls before they close!