Ex-dairy owner Jim Oberweis to fundraise in Kane County Sunday for Florida Congressional run

Former Illinois State Sen. Jim Oberweis is returning to Kane County for a fundraiser to support his run for Congress in Florida’s 19th District.

Oberweis, formerly of Sugar Grove, is running in the 2026 Republican primary seat on Florida’s southern Gulf Coast being vacated by Byron Donalds in the 2026 primary election.

The fundraiser is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Dunham Woods Riding Club, 33W333 Army Trail Road in Wayne, according to the invitation.

According to the invitation, the guest speaker will be Corey Brooks, known as Chicago’s “Rooftop Pastor,” who delivered a prayer at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Individual tickets for the Oberweis fundraiser are $250, available through RSVP@VoteJimO.com.

No one from the campaign could be reached for comment.

Even though he received an invitation, Kane County GOP Chairman Andro Lerario said he isn’t going.

“With all due respect to Jim Oberweis – I like him, he’s a nice man – I’m concerned with Kane County, not with Naples, Florida,” Lerario said.

“My issue is, he’s running for a position in Florida,” Lerario said. “I’ve already gone through two different situations in our party where, during the last election year, we had our own people do fundraisers in Kane County for Kari Lake and General [Michael] Flynn.”

Lake lost her bid to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate and Flynn was raising money for a conservative nonprofit, America’s Future. Both fundraisers were held last year in St. Charles, records show.

“These were very successful. Then they left Kane County,” Lerario said. “I don’t need another fundraiser that is going to take money out of Kane County when I have enough issues going on here. Do it in that state or that county, not here. With all due respect, we could use the money.”

Oberweis, aside from being famous for ice cream, is also known for losing more elections than he has won.

He lost a bid for the Illinois 14th Congressional District to Democrat Lauren Underwood in 2020.

In 2008, Oberweis lost twice to Democrat Bill Foster, first in a special election for the remainder of J. Dennis Hastert’s seat and then in the general election.

In 2006, Oberweis lost the GOP primary for Illinois governor. In 2002 and 2004, he lost Republican primaries in Illinois for U.S. Senate.

In 2012, Oberweis won for the 25th District seat in the Illinois Senate and served two terms. In 2014, he won the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, but lost in the general election to incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who recently announced he won’t seek reelection next year.

Last year, the dairy that bears Oberweis’ family name filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He had left the company in 2007 when he passed Oberweis Dairy on to his son.