Illinois
State GOP picks new leaders to ‘beat the machine,’ including Palatine’s Del Mar
Palatine’s Aaron Del Mar was appointed as an Illinois Republican Party co-chair.
Courtesy of Aaron Del Mar
A northwest suburbanite is taking a leadership role with the Illinois GOP as the party works to rebuild and end what its leader calls the “blue funk.”
State Central Committee member Aaron Del Mar of Palatine has been chosen by Chair Kathy Salvi as an Illinois Republican Party co-chair, along with state Sen. Jason Plummer of Edwardsville and State Central Committee member Judy Diekelman of Thornton.
Salvi also picked Joan McCarthy Lasonde of Wilmette as vice chair.
“Co-Chairs Aaron Del Mar, Sen. Jason Plummer, and Judy Diekelman as well as Vice Chair Joan McCarthy Lasonde and all of our leaders across the state represent the diverse opinions of our party and our state,” Salvi said Wednesday.
“This group will broaden our coalition, expand our footprint, and will beat the machine that Democrats like (former Speaker) Mike Madigan and (Gov.) J.B. Pritzker have built.”
Salvi took office in July vowing to “make Illinois red again,” and end the party’s “blue funk.”
With a woman at the helm of the state GOP and his background as a Filipino- American, “this is a very historic time,” said Del Mar. “This will be the first time the Illinois Republican Party has had a person of color in leadership.
“I’m very excited. Kathy has a different personality than I do, she brings different strengths so I think we very much complement each other.”
Del Mar, a businessman who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022, was a Republican National Convention delegate in July, and has served as Cook County Republican chairman and Palatine village councilman.
The Illinois GOP faces challenges in a heavily Democratic state and recently lost Chair Don Tracy, who blamed party infighting for his resignation.
One key to success is to make sure “grass-roots organizations and grass-roots members of the Republican Party have a voice,” Del Mar said. “They’re the people who show up at the monthly meetings, the people that put lawn signs into the ground, that march in the parades. I think for far too long, they’ve been ignored and they’ve been taken for granted.”
Outgoing Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, from left, chats with new Chair Kathy Salvi during the state party’s daily breakfast meeting at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
Christopher Placek/cplacek@dailyherald.com, July 2024
Del Mar, who campaigned statewide in 2022, hopes to bridge divisions between rural conservative and urban moderate Republicans
“If we can create a relationship where there’s a conversation and people have a better understanding — that adds a lot of value,” Del Mar said, adding he’s visiting downstate Illinois soon. “If you want buy-in from those (rural) counties you have to show up.”
Del Mar’s father, a mechanical engineer, immigrated from the Philippines. His mother is a retired nurse of German/Swedish descent who grew up on Chicago’s South Side.
“When they start talking about issues like immigration, those things hit home and I can give a personal story,” Del Mar said.
Aaron Del Mar, left, speaks with other delegates during an Illinois delegation breakfast meeting at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com, July 2024
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) – A man from Illinois is facing felony charges after police say he took part in a scheme that convinced a Rochester resident to hand over thousands of dollars in cash and nearly fell for a gold bar handoff.
Rochester phone scam
What we know:
According to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County District Court, police say the victim was contacted by phone and told he was under investigation for a crime. The caller convinced him to deliver $30,000 in cash to a man he met in person on June 17, 2026.
The victim was then pressured to arrange a second delivery — this time, 10 one-ounce gold bars — on June 23, 2026. Detectives worked with the victim to set up a controlled delivery using fake gold bars and a GPS tracker.
Charges state that the plan was for the victim to meet whoever arrived to pick up the package, while officers watched nearby. Surveillance officers saw a white SUV with Illinois plates circling the parking lot at 2711 Commerce Drive NW in Rochester.
The complaint states a man, later identified as Kiranbhai Kanubhai Vasava, got out, met the victim, gave the password and took the package. Officers followed the car as it left the scene. Detectives stop suspects and recover cash
Why you should care:
Police stopped the SUV near Eyota and searched it, finding $50,000 in cash, several cell phones, bank checks with Vasava’s name, and packaging materials similar to those used for the fake gold bars. The package with the GPS tracker and fake gold was missing, but officers later found the GPS device torn apart on the side of the highway.
The second man in the car, Hemendrasinh Pravinsinh Dabhi, told police he got a call from India about a package but claimed he knew nothing about it, saying, “he just drives.” Vasava also denied knowing what was happening.
Kiranbhai Vasava linked to Wisconsin case
The backstory:
The complaint states detectives linked Vasava to another similar case in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where a bank customer was convinced to hand over $50,000 in cash to a driver in a white Honda SUV. Video from that incident showed Vasava receiving the package.
Police say this type of swindle involves convincing victims they are under investigation and must pay money or hand over valuables to clear their name. Detectives say the investigation involved coordination between local police and law enforcement in Wisconsin.
The Source: Criminal charges filed in Olmsted County Court.
OSWEGO, Ill. (WLS) — A Chicago-area man claimed a $1.3 million jackpot prize during an ordinary stop at a local gas station.
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The newly-minted millionaire said he bought the ticket while stopping to buy a drink.
“‘Why not?’” the winner said. “I played a Quick Pick, and it turned out to be a lucky day.”
His ticket matched all five numbers in the Thursday, June 11 evening Lucky Day Lotto drawing. The winning numbers were 1-13-19-27-35.
The ticket was purchased at Oswego BP, located at 2791 US Highway 34.
Overjoyed, he wasted no time sharing the big news with his wife.
“She was thrilled,” he said. “It’s funny-I actually won a $45,000 prize playing this same game 15 years ago when it was called Little Lotto.”
The winner plans to use the prize money to buy a new house and secure his and his wife’s retirement.
For selling the, the Oswego BP will receive a bonus of $13,000.
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