ABOVE: Republicans Brandun Schweizer (IL House 104th Dist) and John Thompson (Vermilion Co Sheriff) during Vermilion Co GOP Watch Party at David S Palmer Arena
On an Election Night that had Democrats celebrating coast to coast, the Republican Party had something to celebrate in Vermilion County, with John Thompson’s win in the Sheriff’s race. But the race between GOP incumbent Brandun Schweizer and Democratic challenger Mary Catherine Roberson was too close to call, with Schweizer’s early lead of about 2,000 votes having been cut down to 35 when Champaign County votes began flowing in. CIMG was told after midnight that more votes would be counted my Wednesday morning.
Talking with both candidates earlier in the evening, Schweizer stated while at the GOP watch party at the David S. Palmer Arena that he’s looking forward to getting back to work at the state capitol; should he pull off the victory.
A scene from the GOP watch party at the David S. Palmer Arena.
AUDIO: First thing that’s on my mind when I get back to Springfield is to continue to try to push for affordability. We’re spending a lot of money on everything in the state; so we really need to do what we can to bring those prices down. Property taxes, we’re third in the country, when it comes to property taxes. When it comes to gas tax we’re third in the country. When it comes to our overall tax burden, we’re sixth in the country according to Wallet Hub. So we’ve really got to see what we can do to bring down some of our taxes.
CIMG ran into Mary Catherine Roberson at the start of the night, shortly after the polls had closed. She received a major welcome at the Vermilion County Democrat party at the Heron in Downtown Danville. One thing Roberson told us, it was a great day of involvement, which made her very happy.
Mary Catherine Roberson greeted early in the evening when she arrived at the Heron in Downtown Danville.
AUDIO: So to come home to that reception, to my daughters and all her teenage friends, many of whom are first time voters; there’s really no words for it, it’s super exciting, it’s been a great day.
In the race for who would replace the retiring Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn, it was a solid win for Republican John Thompson, with the combined County Clerk’s Office and Danville Election Commission numbers showing Thompson defeating Democrat Hugh Sands 13,800 votes to 4,729 votes. Thompson, the 19 year Danville Police Veteran and current Director of the County 9-1-1 Center, said his first duty as Sheriff will be getting to know everyone.
AUDIO: You’ve got to get in there and assess what’s going on. I’ve been around the department for years, so I kind of know a little bit about how they run. It’s just relying on the the people who are already in place, and starting from the ground up. That’s what we have to do.
Hugh and Melissa Sands at the Heron in Downtown Danville.
For Hugh Sands, a veteran of 22 years working in the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department Corrections Division, his first step into running for public office brought no regrets. He told CIMG early in the evening, he is proud that he ran as himself.
AUDIO: What makes me feel good as a person, regardless of the vote; I didn’t have to act fake. I was me. You know, it’s not me putting on a facade and telling people what they want to hear. I just was myself.
In a couple of County Board races, Republican Vic McFadden defeated Democrat Carl Lee Johnson in District 4, 1,780 votes to 726.
In Indianola, the referendum allowing them to reduce the amount of representatives on their Village Board from six to four; passed by a vote of 52 to 20.
Races around the state included Democrat J.B. Pritzker once again defeating Darren Bailey for governor; Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton defeating former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy to replace the retiring Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate; and Democrat Donna Miller defeating Republican Michael Noack to replace Robin Kelly as U.S. Congressional Representative in Illinois’ 2nd District.
VERMILION COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE RESULTS https://il-vermilion.pollresults.net/
DANVILLE ELECTION COMMISSION RESULTS https://www.vercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/EL45A.htm
