Kendall County's board chairman lost his seat Tuesday as Democrats picked up two board seats and Republicans held one, reshaping the balance of power on the 10-member panel that governs one of the fastest-growing corners of the Chicago exurbs.
According to WSPY News, Republican incumbent Jason Peterson was projected to keep his County Board District 1 seat, while fellow Republican incumbent Ruben Rodriguez was projected to lose his. In District 2, Democratic incumbents Liz Flowers and Brooke Shanley were projected to win two of the three open seats, with newcomer Nancy Schwartz projected to take the third. That outcome also meant the end of the road for Matt Kellogg, who was unseated as the board's longtime chairman.
The county board seats 10 members elected from two districts on a partisan basis to four-year terms, according to Chronicle Media. Voters in District 1 chose two candidates, while three District 2 seats were up for election, per an election guide from Patch, which listed the District 1 field as Republican incumbents Jason Peterson and Ruben Rodriguez against Democratic challengers Christina M. Johns and Bradley Chamberlin.
Who Was on the Ballot
District 2's ballot featured Republican incumbent Matthew J. Kellogg and Republican challengers Joe West and Christopher Cetnar running against Democratic incumbents Elizabeth Flowers and Brooke Shanley and Democratic challenger Nancy Schwartz, the same Patch guide noted. The general election fell on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the outlet reported.
Bradley Chamberlin was not elected in District 1, per WSPY's report. Christina M. Johns was projected to receive 12,397 votes in that district; she told WSPY she looked forward to working collaboratively with other board members, learning, listening to constituents, and being part of the team.
A Primary Preview of the Fall Fight
The general election outcome followed a March 17 primary that hinted at a competitive fall. In District 1, Shaw Local's tally of the primary showed Johns with 4,207 votes and Chamberlin with 2,887 on the Democratic side, while Republicans Jason Peterson and Ruben Rodriguez drew 3,923 and 2,686 votes respectively, according to Shaw Local.
In District 2's primary, the same outlet reported Elizabeth Flowers led with 4,497 votes, followed by Brooke Shanley with 3,645 and Nancy Schwartz with 3,601 on the Democratic side, while Republicans Matthew J. Kellogg, Joe West and Christopher Cetnar posted 2,040, 1,767 and 1,371 votes. Shaw Local's live results page for the November election noted that tallies would be updated as county clerks updated their websites.
A County That's Been Trending Blue
Tuesday's results extend a shift that has been building in Kendall County for over a decade. The county last gave a majority of its votes to a Republican presidential candidate in 2012, when it backed Mitt Romney, Chronicle Media reported. Four Democrats, all women, won election to the county board in 2018, the outlet noted, an earlier marker of the same trend.
Republicans still controlled the board as recently as 2024, when Democrats won three of five District 2 seats but Republicans retained a 7-3 majority overall, per Chronicle Media's reporting. That same year, Republicans swept District 1, with Brian DeBolt the district's top vote-getter. Tuesday's results suggest that advantage has continued to narrow, even as the full November vote totals and certified results were still being finalized as of this report.
