Brewpoint Founder Melissa Villanueva Wins Democratic Primary in Landslide

A headshot of Melissa Villanueva. (Courtesy Melissa Villanueva)

Melissa Villanueva, the founder and CEO of Elmhurst’s Brewpoint Coffee, won a landslide victory in the Democratic primary election for DuPage County Board District 1 on Tuesday, March 17. 

Villanueva ultimately earned 64.2% of the vote, defeating challengers Maria Sinkule and Nicholas Panicola, who received 20.8% and 15% respectively. More than 13,000 ballots were cast in the race, over 8,400 of which were for Villanueva. 

The Brewpoint founder is now set to face off against Paula Pezza — who ran unopposed in the concurrent Republican primary — in the general election on Nov. 3, which will see various other Election Day midterm races take place throughout the United States. 

Villanueva attributed her victory in the Democratic primary to her staff, saying that “at the end of the day, it’s my team of volunteers.” 

The DuPage County Board is divided into six districts, each comprising three representatives, for a total of 19 members (including the board’s chairwoman, Deborah Conroy). 

The district Villanueva is vying for is currently represented by Cindy Cronin Cahill, Michael Childress, and Sam Tornatore. Childress’ and Tornatore’s terms both expire on Dec. 7 of this year, while Cahill’s term concludes on Dec. 4, 2028. 

The Leader previously covered Villanueva’s official campaign launch party, held in August 2025. At that time, Villanueva, noting that this was her first bid for elected office, said she was running “not because I have walked this path before, but because I have built paths before.” 

In Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey, Villanueva highlighted financial strength, housing, and affordability as three key messages of her campaign. Furthermore, on her official campaign website, Villanueva lists her focuses as “protecting our most vulnerable neighbors” via increased access to mental health services and improved housing stability, driving economic growth by supporting small businesses, and promoting fiscal responsibility. 

Noting her decade-long experience as an entrepreneur, Villanueva said she aims to chair the board’s Economic Development Committee as soon as possible. 

“I’m so glad that my first role that I’m running for is county board, because it is so relevant to being a small business owner,” Villanueva said, noting the amount of fiscal responsibility involved, particularly in the form of allocating money to different community resources. 

“So it’s managing money, and it’s building relationships, and that’s so much of what I’ve done with Brewpoint,” Villanueva added. 

Although Villanueva’s victory in the primary election gives her a brief amount of time to unwind — some of which she plans to spend with the new Pokémon Pokopia game for the Nintendo Switch 2 — she also wants to remain involved in her community, with or without an active campaign. 

“Because of what I’ve done with Brewpoint, I feel like I’ve always been doing community events,” Villanueva observed. “Once you’re the incumbent, I think it gets a little bit easier in terms of it doesn’t have to be as intense. And I think that’s a good thing, because then I can also focus on the work, right?” 

Asked whether she would ever consider a run for higher office in the future, Villanueva replied that she could envision herself wherever she can make the most impact and best utilize her skills, be it at the state level or federal level.

“I want to spend my life using my talents, resources, and skills to try to make our world better,” Villanueva explained. “Once I dip my feet a little bit more into the actual role itself, I’ll have more of an idea where my skillset primarily lies.”

Villanueva pointed to growing economic uncertainty among college students, particularly amid ongoing federal budget cuts, including restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. She further noted that the average age of a first-time home buyer has climbed to an all-time high of 40 years old, according to a 2025 profile of home buyers and sellers, conducted by the National Association of Realtors. 

“Right now, I think a lot of us are feeling paralyzed with what’s happening,” Villanueva noted. “And if I can be a candidate that gives some level of hope of what things could be, it’s worth all my time and energy to be that and to spread that as much as possible.”