Erin Chan Ding, left, and Maria Peterson are Democratic candidates for the Illinois House 52nd District seat in the 2026 primary election.
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
The Barrington Area Democratic Organization condemned attack mailers from Erin Chan Ding’s campaign for the Democratic nod in the Illinois House 52nd District primary.
The mailers altered opponent Maria Peterson’s image, placing her head on another person’s body. They also included the phrase, “When Maria Peterson runs, MAGA wins,” along with a list of her past election losses.
“These tactics do not reflect the values of our organization or the spirit of Democratic leadership in our community,” organization officials stated in a press release.
Chan Ding and Peterson are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin in the fall election. Peterson narrowly lost to McLaughlin by 47 votes in 2024 and lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in 2022.
Peterson called the mailers “Chicago-style politics” that don’t “fit very well out here.”
Chan Ding countered, claiming Peterson distributed an attack ad first in January that “went after my character.” Chan Ding is a Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board member who was criticized by colleagues after an investigation determined she had violated district policies by using school resources, property and social media for prohibited political campaign activities.
Article continues here.
Related: “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “District 220 Public Hearing December 16th re: ‘proposal to sell bonds of the District in an amount not to exceed $5,400,000’,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “Erin Chan Ding: The violations just keep piling up…,” “Erin Chan Ding starring in another episode of, ‘Rules For Thee But NOT For Me…’,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency,” “Ding Politicking on School District Property,” “Dual School Board and State Rep Positions Legally Incompatible,” “D220 Abuses Taxpayer Funds in favor of Partisan Campaign,” “Ding In Her Own Words – CONFLICTED!,” “Ding Doubles Down,” “Ding’s D220 Deception,” “Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd,” “Three (3) Democratic candidates queued to run for the IL 52nd District House seat in 2026”
As someone who has commented here before; including on Erin’s use of her elected school board seat as a campaign platform-
I have to ask: regardless of where one stands politically, doesn’t this episode speak to a fundamental question of character and judgment?
A candidate who resorts to doctored images and attack mailers is revealing something about themselves, not their opponent.
These aren’t the tactics of someone genuinely committed to the betterment of District 220’s students and families. Public service demands a higher standard, and voters in the 52nd deserve candidates who meet it
Ding’s true colors are coming through, or perhaps, the blush is wearing off of the Daily Herald’s little darling. Their endorsement of her was the biggest piece of junk journalism I’ve read in a long time, letting her get away with the bald faced lie of “early unfamiliarity with the standards” to explain her much reported (by the Observer, not the DH) “lapses in ethics involving campaign activities connected to her school board position.” These “lapses” took place months into her SECOND 4 YEAR term, DH! Why is she, 4 years and several months into her school board position & “unfamiliar” with ethics standards? And to let her get away with characterizing them as “early unfamiliarity” without any questions of it being her second term and she being on the very committee that set the standards?! Yes, Chan Ding has “experience,” DH. Its experience with lying & manipulating her way through life at the very costly expense to taxpayers. She’s destroying our schools and she’s cost us over 34k while doing it (money meant for our students!). Her “apologies” are empty. Any fledgling reporter can look at her campaign sites and see that she continues to defy the school board and violate its policies.
I don’t see how anyone can vote for Erin Ding. She is clearly unable to follow her own school board policy of which she was on the policy committee itself. She says she is a Christian yet sought out to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood. She believes in regressive policies toward girls that boys who simply claim to be girls can compete in girls sports categories and go into female changing facilities.