Dupage Policy Journal

Gina Parrilli, a Westmont Village Trustee and longtime resident, has announced her campaign for Illinois’ 45th House District, vowing to challenge what she calls “a broken political system” and take on incumbent Democrat State Rep. Martha Deuter (D-Elmhurst) in the 2026 election.

Parrilli, 55, who works in the mortgage industry, said the decision to run came after years of rising costs, political frustration and government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I grew up in Illinois my whole life,” Parrilli told the DuPage Policy Journal. “I’ve lived in Westmont since 2002. My kids were raised here, and I have a grandson in Illinois; they’re in Plainfield.” 

Gina Parrilli with her grandson by her side as she is sworn in as Westmont Village Trustee. | Gina Parrilli

Parrilli expressed frustration over the rising costs and policies she believes are harming Illinois residents. 

“It’s because they take everything, right?” Parrilli said. “They just put another fee on your phone bill. Look at ComEd. I know that’s part of energy, so we have a problem with how they’re handling our energy here and out. If they can make a tax, they’re making a tax. They just like to spend our money as fast as they get it in. And they’re spending it on whatever they can.”

According to Illinois Policy, Illinoisans will pay the highest combined state and local tax burden in the nation in 2025, totaling $13,099 or over 16.5% of their median income. Illinois households earn $4,472 more in taxes than the national average, nearly 52% higher. 

High taxes have contributed to a nine-year population decline, with many residents moving to neighboring states with lower tax rates. Despite a recent population increase due to international migration, over half of Illinois voters say they would move if given the chance, citing taxes as the main reason.

Parrilli’s platform focuses on affordability, tax relief, education reform and government accountability.

“We're just taxed out of everything,” she said. “I'm waiting for them to tax the air that we breathe.”

A recent poll by the Illinois Policy Institute found that over half of Illinois voters consider high taxes the state’s top issue, with 54% identifying it as their main concern. 

Nearly half of those surveyed said they would move out of Illinois if given the chance, continuing a trend of population loss driven by tax dissatisfaction. The economy ranked as the second biggest concern for 33% of voters, while Illinois already faces the nation’s highest combined state and local tax burden. 

Parrilli said she has antipathy toward Democratic leadership over such tax-and-spend policies noted by Illinois residents.

“You see your tax bill go up, ComEd’s rates increase, and we have a sanctuary state with a governor who protects that status,” she said. “Their budget goes up. Our pensions are out of control. Are we not one of the worst-funded pension systems? We’re now number one in the highest property taxes. I just feel like this party, this Democratic government, they don’t care.”

Regarding the state’s sanctuary status, Illinois taxpayers are estimated to have spent $2.84 billion from July 2022 to 2025 on services for illegal immigrants, excluding education and other local services. Healthcare costs alone for illegal immigrants are projected to exceed $2 billion over this period, drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers who argue that residents bear unfair financial burdens.  

“I think the sanctuary status of the state is important to people,” she said.  

Parrilli’s campaign marks her first foray into state-level politics, though she secured a seat on the Westmont Village Trustee Board in April 2025. 

Her tenure as a Westmont Trustee followed an earlier run for the Westmont Library Board, where she emphasized fiscal responsibility and family-centered policies.

Parrilli also expressed concern about the state of public education. 

“Now we have porn in the schools, porn in the library. The list goes on. I don't think there's anything good about this,” she said.

She said academic achievement has continued to plummet.

“Even in my school district, I think most of the literacy rates are like 50%, 51%. That's good? How is that good?” Parrilli said.

Many private school parents feel burdened by the high taxes they pay for public schools their children do not attend, yet still face the added expense of private school tuition. 

This frustration has led to calls for greater school choice. 

“I do want the concept of school choice, where parents have a choice and you're not just stuck, where you can put your kid wherever you want them. That’s really where it should be.” 

Parrilli said this latest campaign is different.

“I never got involved in politics until Covid,” she said. 

In the first two weeks of the pandemic in March of 2020, Parrilli said Illinois officials urged everyone to stay home and warned that people were at risk of dying. 

Initially uncertain about what to think, she experienced the statewide lockdown firsthand. 

By June, however, she had planned trips to Tennessee and Florida, both states operating with few restrictions. The stark contrast between those states’ openness and Illinois’ strict lockdown, which lasted through 2022 and resulted in thousands of small businesses closing for good and children being deprived of years of schooling, raised questions for her.

Parrilli also said she heard concerns about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and noted that while Illinois required mask mandates, other states did not, which left her puzzled about the differing responses.

“Then I started meeting people like me who thought the same way. I got involved and started learning how bad and corrupt our government was in Illinois, really.”

Explaining her motivation for entering politics, Parrilli shared her personal feelings about the current state of affairs. 

“I'm just fed up," she said. "I never thought at my age I would ever wanna run to be a politician and I guess that's why I'm running.”   

The 45th House District, once a GOP stronghold, has shifted blue since the 2020 redistricting. 

The new boundaries, drawn by Democratic lawmakers, have drawn criticism from Republicans who point to the map being gerrymandered to dilute conservative influence. 

Since then, Democrats have picked up successive victories. Most recently, Deuter’s 2024 win over former Republican legislator Dennis Reboletti with 53.8% of the vote.

“Let’s be honest,” Parrilli said. “Our elections are probably riddled with some fraud. No voter ID, illegals with driver’s licenses, 40 days of voting, and they don’t clean up the voter rolls. God only knows what’s happening.”

She criticized Deuter as a “typical leftist Democrat” who “votes straight down the party line.”

“Marti Deuter ran on abortion and low-income housing. But if they fixed our taxes, pensions, and budget, we wouldn’t even need low-income housing,” Parrilli said. “She voted yes on that bloated budget. Voted yes on her own pay raise. I don’t even think she read the thing.”

Parrilli added that Deuter prioritizes progressive issues over real working-class concerns.

“She talks about reproductive health care, LGBTQ+ rights and voting rights—whatever that means. She’s against the Second Amendment,” she said. “Nothing about fixing the economy, affordability or safety.”

While Parrilli admits she’s still learning the ropes of a state-level campaign, she says she’s motivated by the same frustrations shared by many in her district.

"I jumped in because I thought it was the right thing to do,” she said. “I just didn't want (Deuter) to keep the seat that she won if she needed an opponent. Obviously, I want change.” 

“We need to fix things along the way. We need many better policies in this state to protect everybody. The working family, the poor, the rich. I mean, everyone wants to keep their own money. Everyone wants a good quality life. And everyone wants the American dream."