Married Illinois politician releases kiss video after rivals allegedly threatened to leak it unless she quit her race

Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg, 51, released surveillance footage showing Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek, 70, kissing her inside her Countryside government office after hours on July 13, claiming political opponents tried to extort her by threatening to leak it unless she dropped her Cook County Board campaign. Hoffenberg had earlier called the encounter a "peck" and insisted she immediately told Landek it was "inappropriate," but the footage shows Landek cupping her face in both hands and kissing her for approximately two seconds, with Hoffenberg smiling afterward. A slow-motion review also appears to show her reaching down to take his hand as he walks away.

Hoffenberg accused Republican opponent Liz Gorman and Lyons Township supervisor Chris Getty of orchestrating the alleged extortion plot — both deny involvement.

Gorman filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the footage on August 3 and says the video raises questions about Hoffenberg's judgment and her use of taxpayer-funded cameras she pushed to have installed.

The footage drew over 100,000 Facebook views and 121,000 views on X within nine hours, with commenters widely disputing Hoffenberg's 'non-romantic moment among colleagues' account.