Sakeenah Amatul

Former Mustang Daniel Alejandro Lomeli is running for DuPage County Board.

Former Mustang Daniel Alejandro Lomeli, class of ’21, is an upcoming Republican candidate for the DuPage County Board.

Daniel Alejandro Lomeli, born in 2002, grew up in DuPage County, attending Metea Valley from 2017 to 2021. He then went on to graduate from North Central College in 2025 with a double major in Political Science and Philosophy. Along the way, Lomeli stayed locally engaged and is currently volunteering with the St. Patrick’s Parade committee for Naperville for 2026. 

His college years also took him to DC for an internship in Virginia, which launched his campaign for public office.

While in D.C., he signed up through the DuPage GOP portal, hoping to volunteer. 

“But towards the end of my tenure…I got an email from the DuPage GOP chair, Kevin Coyne, and he asked me, ‘Hey, do you want to run for office?’ I was like, ‘Sure. Why not?’” Lomeli said.

For Lomeli, the decision was about more than politics. 

“I took this as an opportunity…to get more engaged with the community… I’ve grown up with these people all my life,” Lomeli said.

Now at age 23, Lomeli is running for the DuPage County Board.

County Board members in the state of Illinois oversee county departments and businesses, set policies, levy taxes, manage funds, and approve budgets. 

“The biggest thing is to work with the budget,” said Lomeli. “Annually, we come together and talk about how the budget will operate for each individual year… for 2025, for reference, it’s $682 million.”

They also handle zoning and land-use decisions, establish special districts, and elect a chairman to lead and coordinate county operations. 

Understanding the mechanics of local government is only part of the story. The roots of Lomeli’s steps into being a political candidate began here at Metea.

“I took a class my sophomore year, American Society, and I was like, ‘Holy, shoot. This is really fun.’ I just fell in love with the idea of taking the voices of the people and transforming them into an initiative,” Lomeli said. “It just gives me an incredible feeling to have that opportunity to be a voice for the people. And I just want that as my career, really.”

Running for office, however, has not been without challenges.

“Being a candidate costs a lot of money, so that was a very big challenge,” Lomeli said. 

Another big issue he accounts for is the strong tribalism in modern politics.

While going door-knocking, collecting signatures to be put on the ballot, he describes his firsthand experience with this us-versus-them mentality. 

“I went to one house, and I told them, ‘Hey, I’m running for DuPage County Board. By the way, I’m a Republican.’ I got the door slammed in my face,” Lomeli said. “Literally two houses down, I knocked on another person’s house, and I said, ‘I’m running for DuPage County Board. I’m a Republican.’ Just those words were enough for them to sign my petition, you know?” 

Despite this polarization, Lomeli hopes the younger generation will approach politics differently.

“My hope for the people coming up is that you guys don’t use R’s or D’s as part of resumes… You should really be looking at what they’ve accomplished and what they’ve done and what they’re prepared to do for you as a resident,” Lomeli said.

When it comes to being more politically informed, he says it’s simpler than many think.

“Candidates are everywhere… If you’re thinking about a certain candidate… just go to their events. Go up to them and shake their hand,” he said. “Ignore all the news media and all that propaganda. Just go to these candidates and meet them yourself and learn from them directly.”