2026 Illinois gubernatorial election ← 2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →
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The2026 Illinois gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect theGovernor of Illinois . This election will coincide with various other federal and state elections, including theU.S. Senate elections andU.S. House elections .
Incumbentgovernor JB Pritzker is running for re-election to a third term in office.[ 1] Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton , who ran with Pritzker in both 2018 and 2022, isrunning for U.S. Senate , making her ineligible to be Pritzker's running mate.
A moderately to stronglyblue state , Illinois has a reputation for being both the most populous and the most left-leaning state in the Midwest, traits vastly owed to the progressive and diverseChicago metropolitan area . Though the state has historically favored Republicans forgovernor , Democrats have won all but one gubernatorial race in Illinois since2002 , the exception beingBruce Rauner 's narrow victory in2014 .[ 2] 1992 ; and consistently occupied all of its statewide offices since2019 .
Incumbent GovernorJB Pritzker , a member of the Democratic Party, has comfortably won in the past two elections, having first been elected with a 15.6% lead in2018 [ 3] 2022 .[ 4] West Central andSouthern Illinois . Illinois is one of 16 states that do not have gubernatorial term limits. If Pritzker were to win, he would be the first governor elected to a third term sinceJim Thompson in1982 .
Darren Bailey , formerstate senator from the 55th district (2021–2023), nominee for governor in2022 and candidate forIllinois's 12th congressional district in2024 [ 8] Ted Dabrowski, conservative news website president[ 9] Rick Heidner, real estate developer and founder of Gold Rush Gaming[ 11] James Mendrick,DuPage County Sheriff (2018–present)[ 12] Running mate: Robert Renteria, author and businessman[ 13] Joseph Severino, capital management professional, nominee forIllinois's 10th congressional district 2022 and independent candidate for in2024 [ 14] Running mate: Rantch Isquith, bank examiner Max Solomon, attorney and candidate for governor in2022 [ 15] Phil Perez, member of thePosen Park District Commission[ 17] Ted Dabrowski
State legislators Local officials ^a b Armentrout, Mitchell (June 26, 2025)."Gov. JB Pritzker announces run for 3rd term to protect Illinois from 'chaos and craziness' of Trump" .Chicago Sun Times . RetrievedJune 26, 2025 . ^ Leip, David."2014 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois" .uselectionatlas.org . Archived fromthe original on April 4, 2025. RetrievedApril 9, 2025 . ^ Leip, David."2018 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois" .uselectionatlas.org . Archived fromthe original on May 20, 2024. RetrievedApril 9, 2025 . ^ Leip, David."2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois" .uselectionatlas.org . Archived fromthe original on April 19, 2024. RetrievedApril 9, 2025 . ^ Cherone, Heather (July 1, 2025)."Pritzker Taps Former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell as Running Mate" .WTTW . RetrievedJuly 1, 2025 . ^ McCormick, John (May 26, 2025)."Rahm Emanuel, Teasing a White House Bid, Says Democratic Brand Is Weak" .The Wall Street Journal . RetrievedMay 26, 2025 . ^ "Cook County Democratic Party Slate – 2026 Primary" . July 18, 2025. RetrievedAugust 28, 2025 .^a b Ahern, MaryAnn (September 8, 2025)."Darren Bailey to seek Republican gubernatorial nomination" .WMAQ-TV . RetrievedSeptember 9, 2025 . ^ Szalinski, Ben (August 14, 2025)."New Republican to run for Illinois governor as election season begins" .Capitol News Illinois . RetrievedAugust 28, 2025 . ^ Miller, Rich (September 12, 2025)."A quick briefing on Ted Dabrowski's running mate" .Capitol Fax . RetrievedSeptember 15, 2025 . ^a b Kapos, Shia (October 21, 2025)."GOP governor's race heats up" .Politico . RetrievedOctober 21, 2025 . ^ "DuPage Co. Sheriff James Mendrick to run for governor of Illinois" .WLS-TV Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2025 .^ Palermo, Gregg (June 30, 2025)."Pritzker on Lt. Gov. choice: 'You'll know who my pick is sometime soon' .Spectrum News . RetrievedJuly 2, 2025 .The only declared Republican candidate for governor, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, has selected author and activist Dr. Robert Renteria as his candidate for Lt. Gov. ^ Rice, Max (April 18, 2025)."Republican Joseph Severino Enters the Governor's Race" .Illinois Record . RetrievedApril 22, 2025 . ^a b Szalinski, Ben (October 16, 2025)."Dabrowski sets fundraising bar at $1.5M in GOP primary for governor" .Capitol News Illinois . RetrievedOctober 21, 2025 . ^ Kaufmann, Justin (June 20, 2025)."Miller and Pritzker's clash at House hearing could be preview for 2026" .Axios . RetrievedJune 20, 2025 . ^a b Kapos, Shia (July 14, 2025)."Republicans lining up against Pritzker" .Politico . RetrievedJuly 14, 2025 . ^ "Antioch Mayor "strongly considering" run for Illinois Governor" .Lake and McHenry County Scanner . RetrievedOctober 21, 2025 .^a b c d e Talamonti, Jim (September 29, 2025)."WATCH: Former state lawmakers endorse, donors support GOP candidate Dabrowski" .The Center Square . RetrievedSeptember 29, 2025 . ^ Ahern, Mary Ann (August 4, 2025)."Darin LaHood won't run for Illinois governor, will focus on reelection to Congress" .WMAQ-TV . RetrievedAugust 5, 2025 . ^ Schory, Brenda (July 10, 2025)."Geneva's Dan Ugaste a no-go for governor after all" .Shaw Local . RetrievedJuly 10, 2025 . ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings" .Cook Political Report . RetrievedJanuary 23, 2025 .^ "Gubernatorial Ratings" .Inside Elections . RetrievedFebruary 7, 2025 .^ "2026 Governor" .Sabato's Crystal Ball . RetrievedMay 1, 2025 .^ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026" .Race to the WH . RetrievedJune 30, 2025 .Official campaign websites
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