GENEVA – Local Republicans are confident the GOP will regain power at both the state and national level come November.

A retired Kane County sheriff’s deputy has announced his candidacy for DeKalb County sheriff in the November general election.

How to address the money woes of Kane County’s Sheriff’s Office will confront former Kane County Sheriff Lt. Don Kramer and incumbent Sheriff Pat Perez as they face off in the Nov. 2 general election.

Republican Sheriff candidate Don Kramer is waiting until absentee ballots are counted before planning a celebration.

Election night went smoothly for us here at The Chronicle, but – of course – there were a few bumps in the road.

This November, former Kane County State's Attorney David Akemann will face Elgin attorney John Dalton in the race for the newly-created Kane resident judge.

MAPLE PARK —  A local farmer has secured the Republican nod in the race for the seat to represent Kane County's northwest corner.

Sugar Grove Village trustee Melisa Taylor ousted three-term Kane County Board District 5 incumbent Bill Wyatt in Tuesday's Republican primary election 1,359 to 1,205, according to unofficial results.

SUGAR GROVE – Sugar Grove library officials blamed the sluggish economy with Tuesday's overwhelming defeat of a referendum to increase the library's operating tax rate.

Kane County's incumbent treasurer has won the Republican nod to pursue yet another term in office.

Republican candidates for Kace County sheriff will have to wait a little longer to see if they'll face incumbent Sheriff Pat Perez this fall.

Oswego resident Keith Wheeler put up a fight to be the Republican 50th Representative District nominee, winning both La Salle and Kendall counties, but incumbent Kay Hatcher ultimately pulled ahead by 1,081 votes, according to unofficial results.

State Sen. Chris Lauzen on Tuesday trounced Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels to win the Republican primary for the 25th District seat.

CAMPTON HILLS – Incumbent Barbara Wojnicki handily won the GOP nomination in Kane County's 15th District, according to unofficial results Tuesday.

Kane County Board member Jim Mitchell Jr. easily won Tuesday over Republican challenger Lee Jacobson.

GENEVA – State Sen. Randall Hultgren, R-Winfield, won the GOP nomination in the 14th Congressional District Tuesday in a tight race with Ethan Hastert, who was seeking his father's former seat.

While the ballot was full of competitive races, voters throughout Kane County appeared to greet Tuesday's primary balloting with a yawn.

A company that does electronic polling has made calls on behalf of candidates in four Kane County district races, but candidates contacted said they did not pay for it.

GENEVA – Ten men and women vying for various judicial positions in next week’s primary stated their case Tuesday night at a bar association forum, citing experience, integrity and fairness.

Each of the 11 candidates vying for four different circuit judge seats that serve Kane County within the 16th Judicial Circuit received ratings from their peers within the Kane County and Illinois State bar associations.

Mary Heineman of Sugar Grove takes voting very seriously. A former village trustee, Heineman only votes in races where she has studied the candidates and skips others or ones with a candidate that is unopposed.

So much for a civil campaign in the Republican primary for Illinois' 14th Congressional District seat.

State Sen. Randy Hultgren has apologized to voters in the 14th Congressional District for a mailer that alleges the firm his Republican primary opponent works for lobbies for companies that have a history of human trafficking.

The Republican primary for the 50th House District pits incumbent Kay Hatcher, 64, of Yorkville, against real estate agent Bob McQuillan, 53, of Geneva, and businessman Keith Wheeler, 42, of Oswego.

Garnering support in a district spanning three counties requires candidates to keep favoritism for one community in check as they try to lure voters to the polls on a day whose weather could tempt some to stay home.

It is a troubling time in Illinois. We are facing a budget crisis that must be confronted, and we need leaders who can help the state dig its way out of the hole that has been created.

Both men seeking to oversee the county’s books believe the county should try to invest as much of its money as possible in local banks.

State Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, and a watchdog group are questioning the ethics of Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels because his father Jim Michel's engineering firm has received $8.7 million from Sugar Grove over the past 12 years.

It's hard to tell the candidates in the Republican primary for U.S. House District 14 apart when you look at their stances on the issues.

A man who has spent his entire career in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office squares off Feb. 2 against a man who says the office needs a fresh perspective.

I was honored to be a panelist at the League of Women Voters forum Monday night at the Norris Center in St. Charles.

Bob Kudlicki and T.R. Smith are both aware of the financial trouble that still lies ahead for Kane County's government. And both men believe they are the better man for the job of helping the county steer through the difficult times to come.

NORTH AURORA – Kane County Board member Jim Mitchell Jr. believes experience counts – especially when the county is going through difficult financial times.

A Sugar Grove Village trustee is taking on three-term incumbent Bill Wyatt in the Republican primary for the Kane County Board's District 5 seat. There is no Democratic challenger for the seat.

Kane County’s 15th district is embroiled in a three-way Republican primary race Feb. 2 between incumbent Barbara Wojnicki and newcomers Susan Secondi and Albert Lenkaitis Jr.

ST. CHARLES – As the days inch toward the Feb. 2 primary, GOP hopefuls for the 14th Congressional District Ethan Hastert and State Sen. Randall Hultgren R-Wheaton, each made the case for themselves.

The battle for the Republican nomination for the 25th state Senate seat pits a longtime senator against a challenger who promises to do more for the district.

One could understand if Washington had a hard time believing there are still Republican voices left in Illinois, at least Republican voices ready to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Perhaps it is no accident that the primary election on Feb. 2 falls on Groundhog Day, as forecasting weather or politics is a folly almost no one can resist.

Comptroller Dan Hynes’ record of transparency, integrity and competency separate him from the pack of Democrats seeking the nomination for governor. At a time when fiscal responsibility and job creation are paramount for Illinois, Hynes’ approach to each seems reasonable and the most realistic among those brought forth by the Democrats.

This year’s elections will bring in three new judges to the 16th Judicial Circuit, including a crowded race for a newly-created seat in Kane County.

Supporters of a drive to change the way Illinois chooses its lawmakers could take their cause to local polling places early next month.

We recommend Jim Ryan among a crowded field of Republicans running for governor in the Feb. 2 primary.

SUGAR GROVE – Sugar Grove Library apparently holds the record for the most consecutive attempts to raise taxes.

BATAVIA – GOP hopefuls in three county primary races fielded questions ranging from red light cameras to preserving farmland to paying taxes online at a Geneva-St. Charles League of Women Voters forum Tuesday night.