Cook County Primary — March 17, 2026
Transparency
Scorecard
Every candidate ranked by public record. Scores are calculated from confirmed and alleged flags sourced from FEC filings, federal court records, investigative reporting, and official government disclosures. Higher score = cleaner record. No score is an endorsement.
⚠️ Scores reflect currently seeded data only. Missing data = not enough information to score lower — not a clean record. Verify at FEC.gov and ILSBE before voting.
Clean record
Minor concerns
Notable flags
Serious concerns
Heavy flags
▶What do these terms mean?
AIPAC
American Israel Public Affairs Committee — a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group that spends heavily in Democratic primaries to back candidates aligned with its foreign policy positions.
Dark money
Campaign spending by nonprofit groups (501c4) that don't have to disclose their donors. The money reaches candidates through PACs and independent expenditures.
Outside PAC
A Political Action Committee not controlled by the candidate that spends money independently — on ads, mailers, canvassing — to support or oppose them.
Corporate PAC
A PAC funded by a corporation or industry trade group. Candidates who take corporate PAC money are directly funded by business interests.
Cash on hand (COH)
The amount of money a campaign has in the bank right now. High COH = well-funded and ready for the home stretch.
FEC
Federal Election Commission — the U.S. agency that tracks and publishes campaign finance data for all federal races (Senate, House, President).
ILSBE
Illinois State Board of Elections — publishes campaign finance data for all state and Cook County races. Also at illinoissunshine.org.
Confirmed flag
A red flag backed by public record — a court filing, FEC report, official investigation, or verified investigative journalism with named sources.
Alleged / unconfirmed
A flag based on a single source, an accusation without resolution, or a report that hasn't been independently verified. Weighted less in scoring.
Transparency score
A score from 0–100 based on public-record findings. Starts at 100. Points are deducted for each verified flag. Not an endorsement — a research starting point.
Cleanest Record — A Grade
Notable Concerns — B / C / D Grade
Most Flagged — F Grade
Scoring Methodology
All candidates start at 100. Points are deducted for confirmed and alleged public-record flags:
- AIPAC endorsement (confirmed) — −20
- AIPAC-aligned donor network (confirmed) — −15
- Dark money / corporate PAC (confirmed) — −15
- Ethics violation / corruption (confirmed) — −20
- Federal indictment / criminal charge — −25
- Epstein connection (confirmed) — −30
- Unconfirmed / alleged flag — −8 each
Bonuses: small-dollar fundraising only (+10), FEC filing on record (+5).
Scores are a starting point for research — not a final verdict. Always verify at FEC.gov, ILSBE, and primary sources linked on each candidate page.