Dupage Policy Journal

Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois and a former Downers Grove Township trustee, said she turned down an offer from Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Heidner to join his 2026 ticket as a running mate. She cited Heidner’s financial contributions to Democratic politicians as the reason for declining.

Heidner, a Barrington Hills video gambling operator and real estate developer with an estimated $90 million net worth, officially entered the Republican gubernatorial primary this week.

“During their exploratory search for a running mate, I was approached by the Heidner campaign,” McCloy, a former Trump delegate, told the DuPage Policy Journal. “A cursory search of Mr. Heidner’s personal and business donations shows more than a million dollars given to some of the most damaging Democrats in our state. Donations to politicians like Brandon Johnson and Kim Foxx—who have overseen the decline of Chicago—tell me one thing: he’s paying for business advantages. Republicans cannot embrace someone who buys favors from Democrats for personal gain while our cities burn.”

Heidner is the founder of Gold Rush Amusements, Illinois’ third-largest video gambling operator with over 740 locations, and owns more than 280 commercial properties across 12 states.

His history of supporting Democratic candidates has drawn attention within GOP circles. 

Illinois State Board of Elections records show that Heidner and his businesses have made at least 878 campaign contributions totaling nearly $1.5 million since 2000, mostly to Democratic politicians and committees.

Contributions include $25,000 to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2023 campaign, $61,500 to recently imprisoned former House Speaker Michael Madigan, $22,000 to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and donations to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and former Senate Presidents Don Harmon and John Cullerton.

Heidner has also supported the Illinois Democratic Party and lawmakers involved in gambling legislation, including State Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, who received $28,500. Rita testified against Madigan in his corruption trial last year.

Heidner has made smaller donations to Republican causes, including $290 to the Illinois GOP in 2024 and $450 to the Illinois House Republican Organization about 20 years ago.

In 2023, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Heidner and his wife owed over $5 million in unpaid federal income taxes from 2021. Despite an IRS lien, he continued to make political donations to Illinois Democrats.

McCloy’s decision comes weeks after she endorsed the Darren Bailey-Aaron Del Mar gubernatorial ticket. She had previously agreed to join Del Mar as a running mate when he considered a solo run earlier this year. At the campaign launch in Oak Brook, she said:

“This is not just an election. This is a turning point. We have to decide whether we're going to keep letting the radical left control everything in this state. They control our classrooms to our state budget or if we are going to stand up. And that's why I am proud to support the Bailey-Del Mar ticket.”

McCloy founded Concerned Parents of Illinois during the COVID-19 lockdowns to oppose leftist influence in public education. She has since built a grassroots network that pressured school districts to adopt more transparent curriculum policies and give parents more control over what children are exposed to in classrooms and libraries.

She also helped lead a campaign, backed by legal advocacy group Judicial Watch, that prompted Community Consolidated School District 181 to implement an official opt-out process for materials deemed inappropriate by parents.