In a hotly contested sheriff’s race, challenger Joe Moon, a retired Illinois State Police trooper from Macomb, was selected over incumbent McDonough County Sheriff Nick Petitgout as the Republican candidate to appear on the ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. Moon secured the GOP nomination with 2,198 votes to Petitgout’s 1,776. The incumbent sheriff won five of Macomb’s eight precincts, while Moon won 17 of the county’s 19 precincts outside of Macomb city limits. Petitgout was first elected as McDonough County sheriff in May 2018, and was re-elected in November 2022.
According to County Clerk Jeremy Benson, an independent/new party candidate could file to be on the November ballot. Independent and new party candidates could begin circulating petitions Feb. 26, with the filing period to turn in the petitions running from May 18-May 26. To date, no one has come into the office in person to pick up a petition to run; however, Benson noted the forms are also available online, and his office would not have those petitions until the filing period in May Moon served with the Illinois State Police for over 26 years, retiring Aug. 1, 2025. His service began as a trooper in District 21 and continued as a trooper and K9 Handler in District 14. He also served on the Region 3 Crowd Control Team on a call-out basis, and became a special agent in Zone 4 Investigations (Macomb), investigating violent crimes, child abuse, sexual assaults, financial crimes and narcotics offenses. His final assignment was as president of Illinois Troopers Lodge 41, representing more than 1,450 officers in labor relations, policy development and legislative oversight.
“I’d like to thank those who supported me along the journey. Not only the people who came out originally to back me, but also those I met along the way and who decided to support me in seeking the Republican candidacy for the general election,” Moon told The Community News Brief following Tuesday’s election.
Should Moon be elected in November, he’ll take over the top post in the sheriff’s office on Dec. 1, 2026. According to Moon, his immediate plans for the office include meeting with other law enforcement leaders in the community to touch base to see what they need from the county. He also intends to meet with other community leaders within the region.
“Like I said in my campaign messaging all along, I intend to improve training and shore up policy problems I see, along with building relationships with other law enforcement agencies. I have heard from our smaller communities they’ve felt neglected, so I really want to try to build relationships back up and do what can do to help communities out,” he added.
“I’ve said all along, I think the county and taxpayers deserve 24 patrol coverage and want to try to find a way to make that happen.”
Moon also noted he will not be participating in county’s pension program, which is an issue that he noted was brought up that he already had a pension from the state for his years with the ISP.
“I do have a pension. I earned it. But personally, I don’t think I need two pensions. I won’t be doing this job for the money, I’ll be doing it for the county,” he concluded. “I am incredibly blessed and grateful to have won the Republican primary and I don’t take it lightly. If I go on to win the general election, I intend to do my very best for the citizens of McDonough County.”
Overall McDonough County Voter Numbers At 9:04 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, the McDonough County Clerk’s Office reported that 4,018 ballots had been cast for sheriff, or 23.81%, of the county’s 16,831 registered voters.
Overall, of McDonough County nearly 17,000 voters, only 5,206, or 30.9 percent, cast ballots in all races, according to Benson. This total includes all vote by mail ballots received through March 17. Benson noted his office will still receive mail-in ballots 14 days after the election (as long as they were postmarked by March 17).
The most updated McDonough County election reports are available at mcdonoughelections.com.
