Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Experience

• Farmer and former state senator from Xenia in southern Illinois Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Lost to Pritzker by nearly 13 points in 2022 Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Endorsed by President Trump Capitol News Illinois ↗

Record and stated positions

• Says:Calls for capping property taxes at 1% Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Calls for abolishing the Illinois Tollway Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Calls for a DOGE-style review of state spending Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Opposed Pritzker's COVID-19 mitigations and mask mandates Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:Says Chicago-area voters are now feeling the "failures of the SAFE-T Act" (“failures of the SAFE-T Act”) Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:Opposes data centers, breaking with Trump Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:His campaign says it is not seeking to restrict abortion access in Illinois WBEZ ↗
• Says:Says the state should cooperate with ICE to de-escalate enforcement WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Would reassess insurance coverage mandates so people can buy basic plans WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Would roll back the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act to lower utility bills WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Prefers lowering taxes across the board over tax breaks for particular businesses WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Says he is "glad to have" Trump's support but wants to focus on Pritzker (“glad to have”) Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Asked whether tariffs and the Iran war are raising prices, called it "a short-term pain for a long-term gain" (“a short-term pain for a long-term gain”) Capitol News Illinois ↗

Legal and controversies (last 5 years)

• PendingA Democratic Party of Illinois complaint says he failed to report donor-paid Chicago rent as an in-kind contribution; it is pending Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• DismissedA 2022 complaint alleging his campaign coordinated with a PAC was dismissed after a 2024 hearing found no coordination Illinois State Board of Elections ↗

Checked: Illinois State Board of Elections complaint search by respondent and committee name, all years reviewed for 2021-2026 (elections.il.gov), Illinois ARDC lawyer search: no Illinois lawyer record found, Federal dockets via CourtListener: Illinois district and bankruptcy courts and the 7th Circuit, filed since 2021-10-29 (PACER itself not searched; suits naming the person only in an official capacity excluded), News archive search: Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, Capitol News Illinois, WTTW, Chalkbeat, Inspector general findings: web search of Cook County OIIG, MWRD OIG and Illinois OEIG reports

Money

• Entered July with about $128,000 and has raised almost $300,000 since Chicago Sun-Times ↗

Sources

1. Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
2. Capitol News Illinois, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
3. WBEZ, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
4. WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers), retrieved Oct 29, 2026
5. Capitol News Illinois, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
6. Illinois State Board of Elections, retrieved Oct 29, 2026

Experience

• Governor of Illinois since 2019, after unseating Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Billionaire former entrepreneur and philanthropist from the Hyatt hotel family Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Won reelection in 2022 by nearly 13 points over Darren Bailey Chicago Sun-Times ↗

Record and stated positions

• Signed laws legalizing recreational marijuana and raising the minimum wage to $15 Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Championed a $45 billion capital plan funded largely by sports betting and expanded gambling Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Signed the state assault weapons ban and laws supporting abortion care Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• The state received 12 credit rating upgrades during his tenure Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Business owners complained his COVID-19 closures lasted too long Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Spent $58 million on the failed 2020 graduated income tax amendment Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:Says immigration is the federal government's job and local police should focus on public safety WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Created the Illinois Accountability Commission to document federal agents' actions during Operation Midway Blitz WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Says he fought to keep the National Guard off Illinois streets WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Says he capped insulin at $35 a month and erased more than $1.1 billion in medical debt WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Says he created and doubled the child tax credit and eliminated the state grocery tax WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗

Legal and controversies (last 5 years)

• No election complaints, federal cases or lawyer discipline found in the sources checked, Oct. 2021 to Oct. 2026 Illinois State Board of Elections ↗

Checked: Illinois State Board of Elections complaint search by respondent and committee name, all years reviewed for 2021-2026 (elections.il.gov), Illinois ARDC lawyer search: licensed 1994; no public discipline or pending proceedings, Federal dockets via CourtListener: Illinois district and bankruptcy courts and the 7th Circuit, filed since 2021-10-29 (PACER itself not searched; suits naming the person only in an official capacity excluded), News archive search: Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, Capitol News Illinois, WTTW, Chalkbeat, Inspector general findings: web search of Cook County OIIG, MWRD OIG and Illinois OEIG reports

Money

• Has spent more than $400 million of his own money across three campaigns Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Put $65 million into his campaign in summer 2026 Chicago Sun-Times ↗

Sources

1. Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
2. WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers), retrieved Oct 29, 2026
3. Illinois State Board of Elections, retrieved Oct 29, 2026

Experience

• Palatine political consultant, 40, and former Republican strategist Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Collected 37,000 signatures to get on the ballot as an independent Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Running mate Carolyn Schofield is a former Republican McHenry County Board member Capitol News Illinois ↗

Record and stated positions

• Says:Describes himself as a fiscal conservative Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:Supports abortion rights, marriage equality and more gun control Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Wants a tax on services, calling reliance on sales taxes regressive Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Would replace the motor fuel tax with a mileage-based tax Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Proposes an independent ethics commission covering all of state government Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Says:Opposes much of Trump's agenda, including Operation Midway Blitz tactics Chicago Sun-Times ↗
• Says:Says local police should focus on local policing but be allowed to work with federal agents on violent criminals, and would amend the TRUST Act WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Would increase price transparency in health care WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Plans to lower property taxes, hold state spending in check and bring down energy costs WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗
• Says:Would scale back tax breaks for big out-of-state corporations and expand help for small businesses WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers) ↗

Legal and controversies (last 5 years)

• No election complaints, federal cases or lawyer discipline found in the sources checked, Oct. 2021 to Oct. 2026 Illinois State Board of Elections ↗

Checked: Illinois State Board of Elections complaint search by respondent and committee name, all years reviewed for 2021-2026 (elections.il.gov), Illinois ARDC lawyer search: no Illinois lawyer record found, Federal dockets via CourtListener: Illinois district and bankruptcy courts and the 7th Circuit, filed since 2021-10-29 (PACER itself not searched; suits naming the person only in an official capacity excluded), News archive search: Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, Capitol News Illinois, WTTW, Chalkbeat, Inspector general findings: web search of Cook County OIIG, MWRD OIG and Illinois OEIG reports

Money

• Loaned his campaign $500,000 Capitol News Illinois ↗
• Has reported four contributions over $1,000 since July Capitol News Illinois ↗

Sources

1. Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
2. Capitol News Illinois, retrieved Oct 29, 2026
3. WTTW voter guide (candidate's answers), retrieved Oct 29, 2026
4. Illinois State Board of Elections, retrieved Oct 29, 2026