Espinoza wins DuPage County Board District 2 seat

Christopher Espinoza, a Democrat from Downers Grove, won the DuPage County Board District 2 seat with 38,452 votes, or 62.4%, to Republican Robert "Rusty" Stevens' 23,123 votes, or 37.6%, according to unofficial results from DuPage County Clerk. All 111 reporting units had reported as of 11:25 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, with 61,575 votes counted. Espinoza led by 15,329 votes.

The seat is open. Both District 2 incumbents, Paula Deacon Garcia and Yeena Yoo, chose not to seek reelection, according to Shaw Local.

What was at stake

The District 2 seat carries a four-year term on the DuPage County Board. The district includes all or parts of Downers Grove, Woodridge, Westmont, Villa Park, Lombard, Elmhurst, Oak Brook and Lisle.

The key issues:

• In a candidate questionnaire, Espinoza said he has experienced homelessness in DuPage County and relied on local services, giving him a perspective on how policy "often times fails in practice."
• Espinoza, a Downers Grove High School District 99 board member, said he fought to save custodial and maintenance staff jobs when the district considered outsourcing those positions.
• Stevens ran as a Republican. His specific policy positions were not available in public records reviewed for this article.

A little history

Espinoza has served on the District 99 Board of Education since 2021, according to his candidate questionnaire. He said he was first elected at age 20 and reelected in April 2025. He holds a bachelor's degree in public policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and works as a staff assistant in the Office of the Illinois Senate President. His campaign website describes him as a lifelong Downers Grove resident.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Espinoza said during the campaign he would step down from the District 99 school board if elected to the county board.

Stevens faced Espinoza after winning the Republican nomination. Shaw Local reported in March that the winner of the Democratic primary for the four-year term would face Stevens in November.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day count if received by Nov. 17, according to Democracy Sentry.

Election results: DuPage County Board - District 2 (Illinois General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: DuPage County Clerk. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 11:25 p.m. CST. Reporting: 111 of 111. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.