ELMHURST, IL – In 2020, hundreds of thousands in donations poured into the campaigns of Republican state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi and her Democratic opponent, Jennifer Zordani.

The Elmhurst-based district was seen as a battleground. Then, Mazzochi received 54 percent of the vote.

For the 2022 election, the two parties have invested less in the local race.

Mazzochi has received her usual donations from business-related political action committees, with the state Realtors group topping the others with $10,000, according to state Board of Elections reports.

The House Republican Majority has contributed $2,500 to Mazzochi in the last couple of months, a low number that indicates the party’s confidence in her.

Her Democratic opponent, Jenn Ladisch Douglass of Elmhurst, has received $63,000 from Democrats for the Illinois House and $7,500 from unions, including the Teamsters.

But this is nothing like the big party and union donations for Mazzochi’s 2020 Democratic opponent, Jennifer Zordani of Clarendon Hills. In the last two quarters, she pulled in more than a half million.

The 2022 election is still a month away, so the fundraising picture could change dramatically.

With their limited money, the two parties must be strategic in which races they invest.

In recent months, Mazzochi, who became a representative in 2018, has spoken before the Elmhurst school board a number of times, denouncing the curriculum. She urged the board to “clean house” at one meeting.

Last month, the League of Women Voters held candidate forums for local races. Douglass agreed to take part, but the league said it never heard back from Mazzochi.

Both candidates live in Elmhurst.