Dupage Policy Journal

Former DuPage County Democrats' social media manager Mary Lemanski and self-described "activist anti fascist" earned a Grammy nomination last month in the "Best Contemporary Blues Album" category.

The Downers Grove vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist contributed to Antonio Vergara's album The Fury, which was released in August 2024 and nominated for the award. Although The Fury lost to Ruthie Foster's "Mileage" during the Feb. 2 awards ceremony, Lemanski’s alma mater, Millikin University in Decatur, noted that she played a key role in the project.

Lemanski resigned from her DuPage Democrats' post in Nov. 2021, after tweeting that Wisconsin murderer Darrell Edward Brooks, who killed six and injured 62 when he sped his SUV through a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, was just as a response to the aquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. 

Mary Lemanski | TikTok / Mary Lemanski

“You reap what you sow,” Lemanski wrote. “I just believe in Karma, and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.”

 “The blood of Kyle Rittenhouse’s victims is on the hands of Wisconsin citizens, even the children," she wrote, opining that Brooks' murderous drive "was probably self-defense" and that Brooks "came to help people."

Rittenhouse killed two Antifa members and injured a third, in self-defense, during a 2020 Black Lives Matter riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Lemanski's comments drew the ire of State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville).

“Who are these lunatics? I have family & friends in DuPage County — it’s time to get rid of these left-wing extremists who are ruining that great county. This Wisconsin tragedy is beyond words, and then to see something like this…good grief,” Plummer said on Facebook at the time.

Lemanski ran for Downers Grove Township Clerk in 2021 as a Democrat.

She referenced her music career in response to her firing.

“Nobody cared about me like my whole life,” she tweeted. “My mom used to leave me for hours at a time alone in my playpen. I’ve put out music for 20 years, nobody gave a shit. Why do people all of a sudden care about my stupid remark? I can’t believe my 15 minutes of fame is for this shit.”