With the 2020 Democratic primary still more than six months away, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk hopeful Mariyana Spyropoulos quietly dropped $500,000 (in two donations) into her campaign coffers to bolster her bid last month. That single loan is more than any Democratic candidate spent in the entirety of the 2016 primary, signaling the race to take on incumbent Clerk Dorothy Brown could be one of the county’s most heated.

State election officials confirm Spyropoulos, currently a commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, has “broken the caps” on the race just ahead of Cook County Democrats’ slating session at the end of next week. That opens the spigot to unlimited donations.

In June, Board of Review Commissioner Michael Cabonargi estimated the 2020 race would cost between $1.5 million and $1.8 million per candidate. At pre-slating last month, interested candidates Cabonargi, Spyropoulos, attorney Jacob Meister and state Sen. Iris Martinez said voters are hungry for reformers who can clean up corrupt or inefficient offices.

Brown won her fifth term in 2016 amid a federal investigation into job-buying in her office. She’s also been criticized for the “chaotic” rollout of e-filing changes and for being slow to produce records vital to those standing trial, in prison, or simply trying to navigate the county’s court system. She has not been charged, maintains her innocence and says her office has been on the technological forefront.

During the last competition to replace Brown, none of the three Democratic contenders spent more than $500,000, according to state records. Between June of 2015 and the end of March 2016, attorney Meister was the only one who came close, spending roughly $465,000—mostly his own money—over the course of the race. He is running again this year.

2016 was an unusual cycle: Brown saw some major support pulled in October 2015 after reports that federal agents had seized her cell phone, igniting worries over impending charges. The Cook County Democratic Party switched its endorsement to Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th. Harris came in second and spent roughly $350,000. Meister received major endorsements from the Sun-Times and Tribune, but came in third.

Brown spent the least of her challengers—about $260,000—but still bested them with 47 percent of the vote in the 2016 primary, thanks to a solid base of support. She celebrated her primary win with a memorable cupcake dress. She went on to defeat Republican Diane Shapiro with 67 percent of the vote in the general election.

Brown is approaching her 20th year as clerk, but could be stymied still by federal investigators who are closing in on several offices across Illinois. In April, a top deputy, Beena Patel, was convicted of lying to a grand jury investigating the Circuit Court Clerk’s office. In 2017, another employee pleaded guilty to lying about paying a $15,000 bribe under the guise of a loan to a goat meat company Brown and her husband founded.

Spyropoulos has $802,000 cash on hand, according to state records. Cabonargi has roughly $520,000, Martinez has just under $140,000 and Meister has less than $1,000. Brown has just over $5,000.