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2026 Illinois gubernatorial election

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For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 Illinois gubernatorial election
← 2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →
 
Party Democratic Republican
Incumbent Governor

JB Pritzker
Democratic



The 2026 Illinois gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the Governor of Illinois. This election will coincide with various other federal and state elections, including the U.S. Senate elections and U.S. House elections.

Incumbent governor JB Pritzker is running for re-election to a third term in office.[1] However, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who ran with Pritzker in both 2018 and 2022, is running for the United States Senate, making her ineligible to be Pritzker's running mate.

Background

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A moderately to strongly blue 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 diverse Chicago metropolitan area. Though the state has historically favored Republicans for governor, Democrats have won all but one gubernatorial race in Illinois since 2002, the exception being Bruce Rauner's narrow victory in 2014.[2] In addition, Democrats have won Illinois by double-digit margins in every presidential race since 1992; and consistently occupied all of its statewide offices since 2019.

Incumbent Governor JB Pritzker, a member of the Democratic Party, has comfortably won in the past two elections, having first been elected with a 15.6% lead in 2018[3] and won re-election by 12.5% in 2022.[4] Despite the state's strong Democratic lean, Republicans are comfortably favored in most of rural Illinois, especially in much of West Central and Southern 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 since Jim Thompson in 1982.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Declared

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Potential

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Republican primary

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Candidates

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Declared

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Publicly expressed interest

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Potential

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Withdrawn

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  • Phil Perez, member of the Posen Park District Commission[13]

Declined

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General election

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[17] Solid D January 23, 2025
Inside Elections[18] Solid D February 6, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball[19] Safe D May 1, 2025
Race to the WH[20] Safe D June 30, 2025

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kapos, Shia (August 20, 2024). "DNC's dramatic Day One". Politico. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024. During the Illinois breakfast meeting, Pritzker hinted at a third term, saying his wife, MK Pritzker, would be the decider
  2. ^ Leip, David. "2014 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Leip, David. "2018 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Leip, David. "2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Illinois". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  5. ^ "Gov. JB Pritzker announces run for 3rd term to protect Illinois from 'chaos and craziness' of Trump". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  6. ^ Cherone, Heather (July 1, 2025). "Pritzker Taps Former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell as Running Mate". WTTW News. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  7. ^ McCormick, John (May 26, 2025). "Rahm Emanuel, Teasing a White House Bid, Says Democratic Brand Is Weak". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  8. ^ "DuPage Co. Sheriff James Mendrick to run for governor of Illinois". WLS-TV. February 27, 2025. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Palermo, Gregg (June 30, 2025). "Pritzker on Lt. Gov. choice: 'You'll know who my pick is sometime soon'". Spectrum News. Retrieved July 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.
  10. ^ Rice, Max (April 18, 2025). "Republican Joseph Severino Enters the Governor's Race". Illinois Record. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Barker, Catrina (February 10, 2025). "Del Mar teases run for 'higher office,' sparking 2026 Illinois governor speculation". The Center Square. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  12. ^ Pfingsten, Patrick (January 28, 2025). "GOP Field for Governor in 2026 Slow to Develop". The Illinoize. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d Kapos, Shia (July 14, 2025). "Republicans lining up against Pritzker". Politico. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Kaufmann, Justin (June 20, 2025). "Miller and Pritzker's clash at House hearing could be preview for 2026". Axios. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  15. ^ Bishop, Greg (March 17, 2025). Illinois in Focus: Is Pritzker running for a third term as Illinois governor or for president?. The Center Square – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Schory, Brenda (July 10, 2025). "Geneva's Dan Ugaste a no-go for governor after all". Shaw Local. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  17. ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  18. ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  19. ^ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  20. ^ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
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Official campaign websites
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