Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
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← 2022
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| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: November 3, 2025 |
| Primary: March 17, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Illinois executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Illinois is holding an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 3, 2026. The primary was March 17, 2026. The filing deadline was November 3, 2025.
This election is a rematch of the 2022 election. This is the first rematch between two gubernatorial candidates since 1986.
In Illinois, gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates run for election together on a single ticket in both the primary and the general election.
This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2026. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. There are currently 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2026.
Heading into the 2026 elections, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. There are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.
A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primary)
- Illinois gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Governor
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Governor of Illinois
Incumbent J.B. Pritzker, Darren Bailey, and Gary Pierce are running in the general election for Governor of Illinois on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | J.B. Pritzker (D) | |
 | Darren Bailey (R) | |
 | Gary Pierce (Independence Party)  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois
Incumbent J.B. Pritzker advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | J.B. Pritzker |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Illinois
Darren Bailey defeated Ted Dabrowski, James Mendrick, and Rick Heidner in the Republican primary for Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Darren Bailey | 53.5 | 281,431 |
 | Ted Dabrowski | 28.7 | 151,101 | |
 | James Mendrick | 9.7 | 51,058 | |
 | Rick Heidner | 8.1 | 42,514 | |
| Total votes: 526,104 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Severino (R)
- Max Solomon (R)
- Gregg Moore (R)
Lieutenant Governor
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Christian Mitchell and Aaron Del Mar are running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Christian Mitchell (D) | |
 | Aaron Del Mar (R) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Christian Mitchell advanced from the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Christian Mitchell |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Mosley (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Aaron Del Mar defeated Carrie Mendoza, Robert Renteria, and Christina Neitzke-Troike in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Aaron Del Mar | 53.5 | 281,431 |
| Carrie Mendoza | 28.7 | 151,101 | ||
 | Robert Renteria | 9.7 | 51,058 | |
 | Christina Neitzke-Troike | 8.1 | 42,514 | |
| Total votes: 526,104 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rantch Isquith (R)
- Geno Young (R)
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Gary Pierce (Independence)
Lift up Communities. True progress is measured by how we support those who have been left behind. Focus public policy on empowering impoverished areas and helping those struggling with addiction and hardship.
Civil Liberties. Fundamental rights are inherent to every individual and must never be traded for security. Restore and protect freedom of speech and fundamental civil rights from government and corporate overreach.
Gary Pierce (Independence)
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
Campaign finance
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Governor
Lieutenant governor
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Illinois gubernatorial election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 3/31/2026 | 3/24/2026 | 3/17/2026 | 3/10/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for Governor of Illinois
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Illinois on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | J.B. Pritzker (D) | 54.9 | 2,253,748 |
| Darren Bailey (R) | 42.4 | 1,739,095 | |
 | Scott Mitchell Schluter (L) | 2.7 | 111,712 | |
| Emily Johnson (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 28 | ||
 | Shon-Tiyon Horton (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 28 | |
| Elizabeth Sebesta (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 18 | ||
| Total votes: 4,104,629 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mancow Muller (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois
Incumbent J.B. Pritzker defeated Beverly Miles in the Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | J.B. Pritzker | 91.9 | 810,989 |
 | Beverly Miles | 8.1 | 71,704 | |
| Total votes: 882,693 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Illinois
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Illinois on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Darren Bailey | 57.5 | 458,102 |
 | Jesse Sullivan | 15.7 | 125,094 | |
 | Richard Irvin | 15.0 | 119,592 | |
 | Gary Rabine | 6.5 | 52,194 | |
 | Paul Schimpf | 4.4 | 34,676 | |
 | Max Solomon | 0.9 | 7,371 | |
| Total votes: 797,029 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Keisha Smith (R)
- Christopher Roper (R)
- Cheryl Erickson (R)
- Emily Johnson (R)
2018
General election
General election for Governor of Illinois
J.B. Pritzker defeated incumbent Bruce Rauner, William McCann, and Grayson Jackson in the general election for Governor of Illinois on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | J.B. Pritzker (D) | 54.5 | 2,479,746 |
 | Bruce Rauner (R) | 38.8 | 1,765,751 | |
 | William McCann (Conservative Party) | 4.2 | 192,527 | |
 | Grayson Jackson (L) | 2.4 | 109,518 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 115 | ||
| Total votes: 4,547,657 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | J.B. Pritzker | 45.1 | 597,756 |
 | Daniel K. Biss | 26.7 | 353,625 | |
 | Chris Kennedy | 24.4 | 322,730 | |
 | Tio Hardiman | 1.6 | 21,075 | |
 | Bob Daiber | 1.1 | 15,009 | |
 | Robert Marshall | 1.1 | 14,353 | |
| Total votes: 1,324,548 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Illinois
Incumbent Bruce Rauner defeated Jeanne M. Ives in the Republican primary for Governor of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bruce Rauner | 51.5 | 372,124 |
 | Jeanne M. Ives | 48.5 | 350,038 | |
| Total votes: 722,162 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Governor of Illinois
Grayson Jackson defeated Matthew Scaro and Jon Stewart in the Libertarian primary for Governor of Illinois on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Grayson Jackson |
| Matthew Scaro | ||
 | Jon Stewart | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Illinois Gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Bruce Rauner/Evelyn Sanguinetti |
50.3% | 1,823,627 | |
| Democratic | Pat Quinn/Paul Vallas Incumbent | 46.3% | 1,681,343 | |
| Libertarian | Chad Grimm/Alex Cummings | 3.4% | 121,534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0% | 1,186 | |
| Total Votes | 3,627,690 | |||
| Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||
See also
| Illinois | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Governor of Illinois official website
- Lieutenant Governor of Illinois official website
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
