Who is running for Illinois governor in 2026? Democrat JB Pritzker faces rematch with Republican Darren Bailey.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is running for reelection in 2026, seeking to become the first Democrat ever elected to a third term in office in this state. After running unopposed in the Democratic primary, he's facing a rematch with Republican Darren Bailey, whom Pritzker defeated in the 2022 election. Independent candidate Collin Corbett also is running for governor.
Here's who is on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 3
Who is the incumbent, JB Pritzker?
Pritzker is in his second term as governor and has long been an outspoken critic of President Trump, fueling speculation that the billionaire governor will run for president in 2028. Pritzker has repeatedly declined to say if he is running for president in 2028, saying he's happy as governor and focused on Illinois.
The governor touts his efforts make Illinois more affordable by eliminating the state's sales tax on groceries, doubling the state's child tax credit, and lowering prescription drug prices in Illinois. He also highlights his fight to oppose President Trump's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, roll back protections against climate change, and limit reproductive rights.
Pritzker has a new running mate in the 2026 election, with deputy governor Christian Mitchell replacing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on the ballot, as Stratton is now running for the U.S. Senate.
Mitchell, who served three terms as an Illinois state representative, has been a deputy governor in the Pritzker administration since 2019, and touts his work focused on expanding use of clean energy and banning assault weapons.
Campaign website: jbpritzker.com
Who is Republican challenger Darren Bailey?
Darren Bailey, a former Illinois state representative and state senator, lost the 2022 general election to Pritzker.
Bailey is a farmer in southern Illinois, near Louisville, and is the founder of a private Christian school, Full Armor Christian Academy. Bailey made a name for himself during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he unsuccessfully fought Pritzker's executive orders requiring masks in most public settings.
Bailey vows to lower taxes and cut government spending, and is campaigning on public safety issues, including criticism of the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail in Illinois.
In his second bid for the governor's office, he has a new running mate, Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar, replacing conservative radio host Stephanie Trussell, who ran with Bailey in 2022.
Del Mar is an entrepreneur who has also served as a village councilman in Palatine, and ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 as Gary Rabine's running mate.
Campaign website: baileyforillinois.com
Who is Independent challenger Collin Corbett?
Collin Corbett, a small business owner and political strategist, is a former Republican who is now running as an independent candiate in his first bid for public office. Founder of political consutling firm Cor Strategies, he worked for Republican Don Tracy in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, helping Tracy win the GOP nomination.
Corbett has since left the Republican Party to launch an independent bid for governor, telling Capitol News Illinois he knows he faces long odds to pull off a victory, but believes there is an appetite for a centrist candidate.
"I'm 40 years old. I got a long runway ahead, and there's a ton of people who've been coming up to me saying, 'I don't know if I can vote for you in this election, but I'm all in for your larger goal of building an independent majority,'" he said. "'So Nov. 4, I'm in, let's go.'"
Corbett says he supports marriage equality, abortion rights, more gun control measures, and an Illinois tax on services, calling the state's reliance on sales taxes "regressive."
He is running alongside Carolyn Schofield, a former Republican McHenry County Board member, who is now president of the McHenry County Mental Health Board. She is also a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, a regional taxpayer-funded government planning agency for Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties.
Campaign website: collinforil.com
