Dupage Policy Journal

Campaign donation records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show DuPage County Board member Sam Tornatore and former board member Donald Puchalski both donated to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

Tornatore provided $250 to Foxx’s election efforts and Puchalski, who was a board member at the time, chipped in $500 to the week prior Foxx’s election in 2016.

Campaign donation records from the Illinois State Board of Elections. | Illinois State Board of Elections

Shortly after her election in 2016, Foxx enacted a policy to not press charges against shoplifters stealing goods valued below $1,000 in single instance of theft.

Since Foxx’s election, overall crime in Chicago and its neighboring regions has risen with many critics pointing to Foxx’s policies, which critics note promote criminality.

Chicago in particular is facing a growing shoplifting problem attributed leading to rampant theft – sometimes by organized gangs – from stores coinciding in a growing property theft and criminality in Chicago and surrounding areas.

Amid increasing criticism, earlier this year Foxx announced her decision to not run for re-election.

Both Tornatore and Puchalski have shown a tendency to support Democrats monetarily despite parroting GOP talking points over their political careers.

The Foxx campaign donation revelations come in the wake of campaign records noting the support Tornatore and Puchalski gave Democrat DuPage County Chair Deb Conroy during the 2022 campaign.

Tornatore made a $1,000 campaign contribution to the progressive Conroy, as reported in the Friends of Deborah Conroy D-2 quarterly report. Tornatore, who also operates Tornatore Law Office, has been involved in various roles in local government and has been an active member of the Roselle and Bloomingdale communities for nearly two decades.

Puchalski, an attorney focusing on immigration and domestic relations, previously donated $500 to the campaign of progressive Democratic DuPage County Board Chair, Deb Conroy.

Prior to making a donation to Conroy, Puchalski was appointed to a paid position on the Airport Board.

Puchalski had previously called for fiscal responsibility and non-partisan politics during his time on the board.

In early July, Tornatore and DuPage GOP Chairman Jim Zay were invited to address concerns raised by committeemen at the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization's meeting. At that meeting, Tornatore defended the $1,000 donation made by his firm to Conroy.

Conroy at the time was a state representative known for her far left stances.

Committeeman Noel Manley told DuPage Policy Journal that both Tornatore and Zay displayed a "level of indignance " and dismissed the committeemen's concerns. 



The donations have prompted criticism from other Republicans, including former state representative Jeanne Ives, who condemned supporting a progressive Democrat like Conroy due to her opposition to Republican principles.