Miguel M. Valente (Sangamon County Board District 18, Illinois, candidate 2026)
Miguel M. Valente (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Sangamon County Board District 18 in Illinois. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.[source]
Valente completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Miguel M. Valente provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on August 29, 2025:
- Birth date: August 18, 2000
- Birth place: Chicago, Illinois
- High school: Gurdon S. Hubbard High School
- Bachelor's: University of Illinois Springfield, 2022
- Graduate: University of Illinois Springfield, 2024
- Military service: United States Army National Guard, 2017-2024
- Gender: Male
- Religion: Catholic
- Profession: Budget Analyst
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Instagram
- Campaign X
Elections
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Sangamon County Board District 18
Sam Cahnman (D) and Miguel M. Valente (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Sangamon County Board District 18 on March 17, 2026.
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 | Miguel M. Valente  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Valente received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Illinois Veterans for Change
- Progressives for Democracy in America
- Run for Something
- VoteVets
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Miguel M. Valente completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Valente's responses.
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Miguel aims to be a proactive elected official in Sangamon County's 18th District, ensuring he is accessible to all residents. If elected, he will represent the best interests of District 18 and engage with all residents, regardless of their political affiliations or socioeconomic status. Currently, Miguel is an employee of the State of Illinois. The views expressed on this website are personal and do not reflect the views of the employer.
Miguel was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago in an immigrant family from Guerrero, Mexico. He made history as the first person in his family to graduate from university and serve in the U.S. military. Miguel proudly served as a Water Treatment Specialist in the Illinois Army National Guard and was activated for both federal and state missions during his service. He graduated from Gurdon S. Hubbard High School in 2018 and is a proud alumnus of Chicago Public Schools. Miguel earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the Univ- Make Sangamon County a Home Rule Unit. This initiative aims to grant us enhanced local control over governance, allowing us the flexibility needed to tailor solutions for our community's specific challenges. This change can lead to more responsive policies, greater financial flexibility, increased government efficiency, and better addressing of our needs.
- A County Department Focused on Budget and Management. Establish a Department of Budget and Management aimed at enhancing efficiency and achieving budget savings. This department will standardize policies to promote fiscal responsibility and accountability.
- Enhancing Support for Veterans. Assist in securing crucial funding for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Sangamon County, while ensuring compliance with the Military Veterans Assistance Act and maintaining cooperation with the commission throughout the process.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
