Noonan beats Moore in DuPage GOP sheriff primary, moves to Nov. 3 general election: ‘I’m grateful, I am humbled’
Oakbrook Terrace Police Officer Sean Noonan won a decisive victory in the Republican primary for DuPage County Sheriff, defeating Undersheriff Eddie Moore by a wide margin and advancing to the general election in November.
Noonan, a former DuPage County Board member who has spent 23 years in law enforcement, received 30,157 votes, or 66.5%, compared to Moore’s 15,232 votes, or 33.5%, a roughly two-to-one margin and a lead of nearly 15,000 votes, according to the DuPage County Clerk’s Office.
“I’m grateful, I am humbled,” Noonan told the DuPage Policy Journal of the victory.
The primary was shaped by heightened scrutiny of Moore, a 30-year veteran of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office seen as the hand-picked successor to outgoing Sheriff Jim Mendrick.
Moore faced controversy after a Feb. 14 incident outside Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook, where police reports and witnesses said he struck a pedestrian with his car; the victim also alleged he smelled of alcohol.
Several of Moore's endorsements were withdrawn, while Noonan publicly questioned his judgment and accountability during the campaign.
In the hours following his victory, Noonan thanked supporters in a social media post, writing “From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” and emphasizing that “this victory belongs to you.”
He also called for unity beyond party lines.
“As we look ahead to November, it is time to come together, not just as Republicans, but as residents of DuPage County who care deeply about our community,” Noonan said on social media. “We are united by common goals that go beyond party lines: safe neighborhoods, strong support for the men and women who serve in law enforcement, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and a clear commitment to public safety.”
Noonan outperformed Moore across all vote types.
“I beat them in the early voting in person, I beat them on Election Day in person and then in the vote by mail,” he said. “I’m pretty excited.”
He credited his campaign’s financial advantage and broad outreach strategy as key factors in the win.
“I felt like the townships were mostly behind my opponent, so I had to overcome that,” Noonan said. “And then I just outworked them. I outwork them and I raised more money than them. And that gave me a huge advantage.”
Noonan said after a long, hard fought primary win he is going to catch his breath for a moment, but only a brief moment.
“I’m going to take a slight pause and get recharged,” Noonan said. “And I got to get back into it because November is going to come quick and I want to make sure I’m prepared.”
Looking ahead to the Nov. 3 general election, Noonan said he is preparing for a competitive general election against Democrat Peter Joseph Coolidge, who ran unopposed in his primary.
“I expect the Democrats to pour some money into [the race] because of Pritzker,” he said. “So I’m probably going to have to work equally as hard or maybe twice as hard.”
Noonan contrasted his experience with Coolidge, who did not face a primary opponent and is not actively working in law enforcement.
“He never held any rank,” Noonan said of Coolidge. “He was either court security in the corrections or on the street as a patrol officer, deputy. He was never even been a detective. He has zero supervisor experience whatsoever."
He said his campaign will shift focus toward independent voters, whom he estimates make up “between 40 and 50 percent” of the electorate, while also seeking crossover support.
“I’m hoping that I do get crossover votes, which I know I already had in the primary,” he said. “We knew some people that are die-hard Democrats, family friends, and they pulled a Republican ballot and just voted for me only because they knew me or my wife, which is kind of cool. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
On voter dynamics, he emphasized qualifications over party.
“Criminals don’t discriminate, if the opportunity is to go out there and commit a crime, if you left your car unlocked on your driveway and there’s valuable items on the passenger seat, they’re going to seize the opportunity,” Noonan said. “They don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrats.”
Still, he said he believes he’ll have an advantage due to being a Republican.
“Republicans have always been big supporters of law and order,” Noonan said. “They’ve always been pro second amendment, and I’m aligned with all of that. I just think that at the end of the day, they are the Republicans that will always and consistently been supporters of public safety.”
Noonan said he plans to coordinate campaign activities with other Republican candidates for the general election.
“We're going to have to get down, get together,” he said. “All of us, the candidates that are going to be on the ballot in November. And we're gonna have to organize and come up with a plan.”
On public safety, Noonan cited a trend that has been ticking up in DuPage County, criminals being allowed to evade law enforcement due to lax pursuit policies.
“Police officers attempt to stop somebody for whatever, obviously a traffic violation or whatever, and they don’t stop,” he said. “There has been an increase in fleeing and eluding because a lot of departments have a pursuit policy, but they’re very strict. It’s got to meet a certain threshold, which I agree. I get it. It comes down to liability. But at the end of the day, sometimes that’s the cost of doing business. If you bang up a squad car, you end up catching these guys, I think it’s worth it.”
Noonan also criticized Illinois’ Trust Act which limitis cooperation from local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities.
“I don’t agree with it at all,” he said. “That went into effect in 2017. My true opinion, we’re all on the same team. We should be able to work together, but it just prevents us from assisting ICE agents from detaining people, holding people, and sharing information, which is ridiculous to me because we’re on the same page.”
In fact, he linked declining retail theft in DuPage County to federal immigration policy.
“No doubt there’s a correlation with that because I’m on the street, I can see it firsthand, I already know what’s going on, and there’s no doubt there’s been a significant decrease in the retail thefts from what we were seeing previously before Donald Trump, 100%,” Noonan said.