Samantha Steele Faces Primary Challenge from Liz Nicholson for Cook County Board of Review Seat

Samantha Steele is confronting a well-funded Democratic primary challenge from longtime operative Liz Nicholson for the Cook County Board of Review District 2 seat. As of March 17, 2026, 08:24 PM, the contest has drawn attention because of Steele’s high-profile legal and ethics issues since winning the seat in 2022.

Steele, who lives in Evanston, was arrested in November 2024 and charged by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office with driving under the influence; court records show the case remains pending. Police body-camera footage released publicly showed Steele resisting officers at the scene after a crash on Ashland Avenue and identifying herself as a county elected official while declining to immediately produce identification. The commissioner’s first term was also marked by internal disputes with fellow Board members, an inspector general ethics inquiry tied to a property-tax matter involving the Chicago Bears and Arlington Park, a $180,000 county settlement of a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a fired Steele aide, and the dismissal of another former staffer who later pleaded guilty in a separate federal case.

The Board of Review, which oversees appeals that can substantially alter property tax liabilities across Chicago and Cook County suburbs, has been a focal point in debates over assessment fairness; Assessor Fritz Kaegi recently criticized commissioners for favoring business interests. Steele’s colleague George Cardenas is also defending his seat against parks activist Juanita Irizarry, while commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. holds a sixth term. Endorsements and divisions among local Democrats have intensified attention on how Tuesday’s primary could reshape the board’s makeup.