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Republican Party primaries in Illinois, 2026
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U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Appellate courts • How to run for office |
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← 2024
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| Republican Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| March 17, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Republican primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Republican Party of Illinois |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Republican primaries that will take place in Illinois on March 17, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Illinois, state law provides for a closed primary where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However, voters state their affiliation at the polls and any voter may change their affiliation on the day of the primary. A voter's eligibility to vote a party's ballot may be challenged.[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
A Republican Party primary takes place on March 17, 2026, in Illinois to determine which Republican candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois
The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Panagioti Bartzis | ||
 | Doug Bennett | |
 | R. Cary Capparelli  | |
 | Casey Chlebek | |
| Jeannie Evans | ||
 | John Goodman | |
 | Lloyd Jones | |
 | Pamela Denise Long | |
| Januario Ortega | ||
 | Jimmy Lee Tillman II | |
| Don Tracy | ||
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
U.S. House
District 1
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 2
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 3
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 4
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 5
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 6
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 7
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 8
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 9
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 10
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 11
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 12
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Mike Bost (Incumbent)
- Michael Tabacchi
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 13
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 14
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 15
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Mary Miller (Incumbent)
- Judy Bowlby
District 16
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Darin LaHood (Incumbent)
- Garth Gullette
- John Kitover
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 17
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State elections
State Senate
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2026
Illinois State Senate elections, 2026 |
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| District 26 |
Darby Hills (i) |
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| District 39 |
Don Harmon (i) |
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John Curran (i) |
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Neil Anderson (i) |
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House of Representatives
State executive offices
Six state executive offices are up for election in Illinois in 2026:
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Comptroller
Treasurer
Governor of Illinois
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Attorney General of Illinois
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Illinois Secretary of State
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Illinois Comptroller
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Illinois Treasurer
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State court of appeals
Illinois Third District Appellate Court
Adrienne W. Albrecht vacancy
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Joseph Hettel's seat
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court
James Hackett's seat
Republican primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Amy Sholar (Incumbent)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Context of the 2026 elections
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
State party overview
Republican Party of Illinois
- See also: Republican Party of Illinois
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Eleven of 102 Illinois counties—10.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Alexander County, Illinois | 8.30% | 13.65% | 12.62% | ||||
| Carroll County, Illinois | 26.69% | 1.49% | 4.81% | ||||
| Fulton County, Illinois | 14.93% | 11.04% | 21.33% | ||||
| Henderson County, Illinois | 28.43% | 12.25% | 17.67% | ||||
| Henry County, Illinois | 20.99% | 3.08% | 7.74% | ||||
| Jo Daviess County, Illinois | 14.64% | 1.16% | 10.49% | ||||
| Knox County, Illinois | 2.91% | 17.37% | 19.89% | ||||
| Mercer County, Illinois | 20.36% | 7.39% | 11.91% | ||||
| Putnam County, Illinois | 19.92% | 1.82% | 15.64% | ||||
| Warren County, Illinois | 16.50% | 5.47% | 8.08% | ||||
| Whiteside County, Illinois | 6.18% | 17.02% | 17.56% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Illinois with 55.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 38.8 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Illinois voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 50 percent of the time. Illinois voted Democratic in all five elections from 2000 to 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Illinois. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[2][3]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 75 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 39.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 76 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 42.1 points. Clinton won 13 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 43 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 15 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 42 out of 118 state House districts in Illinois with an average margin of victory of 22.1 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 83.62% | 15.21% | D+68.4 | 82.32% | 14.37% | D+68 | D |
| 2 | 82.39% | 15.42% | D+67 | 80.05% | 14.65% | D+65.4 | D |
| 3 | 79.93% | 18.51% | D+61.4 | 79.31% | 17.11% | D+62.2 | D |
| 4 | 85.70% | 11.51% | D+74.2 | 86.74% | 8.01% | D+78.7 | D |
| 5 | 85.51% | 13.50% | D+72 | 86.81% | 9.67% | D+77.1 | D |
| 6 | 87.98% | 11.09% | D+76.9 | 85.82% | 10.82% | D+75 | D |
| 7 | 80.06% | 18.99% | D+61.1 | 80.62% | 15.84% | D+64.8 | D |
| 8 | 86.10% | 13.03% | D+73.1 | 85.11% | 11.52% | D+73.6 | D |
| 9 | 87.33% | 11.58% | D+75.8 | 87.72% | 8.52% | D+79.2 | D |
| 10 | 89.16% | 9.51% | D+79.7 | 89.44% | 6.93% | D+82.5 | D |
| 11 | 70.89% | 26.65% | D+44.2 | 80.64% | 13.16% | D+67.5 | D |
| 12 | 72.73% | 24.96% | D+47.8 | 81.23% | 13.31% | D+67.9 | D |
| 13 | 83.32% | 14.08% | D+69.2 | 85.26% | 10.09% | D+75.2 | D |
| 14 | 86.60% | 10.95% | D+75.7 | 86.67% | 8.59% | D+78.1 | D |
| 15 | 61.08% | 37.44% | D+23.6 | 63.15% | 32.35% | D+30.8 | D |
| 16 | 67.28% | 31.33% | D+36 | 70.19% | 26.06% | D+44.1 | D |
| 17 | 61.83% | 36.93% | D+24.9 | 69.97% | 25.22% | D+44.8 | D |
| 18 | 66.52% | 31.94% | D+34.6 | 76.28% | 18.12% | D+58.2 | D |
| 19 | 63.32% | 34.68% | D+28.6 | 60.22% | 34.98% | D+25.2 | D |
| 20 | 52.74% | 45.64% | D+7.1 | 51.65% | 43.61% | D+8 | R |
| 21 | 74.33% | 24.11% | D+50.2 | 74.36% | 21.32% | D+53 | D |
| 22 | 71.92% | 26.75% | D+45.2 | 72.11% | 24.01% | D+48.1 | D |
| 23 | 68.15% | 30.25% | D+37.9 | 68.21% | 27.01% | D+41.2 | D |
| 24 | 76.56% | 21.82% | D+54.7 | 78.51% | 17.01% | D+61.5 | D |
| 25 | 93.09% | 5.86% | D+87.2 | 91.45% | 5.66% | D+85.8 | D |
| 26 | 85.59% | 13.65% | D+71.9 | 86.53% | 10.16% | D+76.4 | D |
| 27 | 81.90% | 17.46% | D+64.4 | 79.07% | 18.14% | D+60.9 | D |
| 28 | 79.41% | 19.90% | D+59.5 | 75.46% | 21.59% | D+53.9 | D |
| 29 | 83.65% | 15.75% | D+67.9 | 81.69% | 15.87% | D+65.8 | D |
| 30 | 82.89% | 16.29% | D+66.6 | 79.99% | 16.71% | D+63.3 | D |
| 31 | 82.49% | 16.80% | D+65.7 | 77.74% | 19.39% | D+58.4 | D |
| 32 | 87.17% | 12.26% | D+74.9 | 82.32% | 15.18% | D+67.1 | D |
| 33 | 87.38% | 12.10% | D+75.3 | 85.39% | 12.24% | D+73.2 | D |
| 34 | 80.42% | 18.91% | D+61.5 | 76.17% | 21.23% | D+54.9 | D |
| 35 | 56.71% | 41.96% | D+14.8 | 53.87% | 41.66% | D+12.2 | D |
| 36 | 56.82% | 41.83% | D+15 | 56.15% | 39.16% | D+17 | D |
| 37 | 39.72% | 58.89% | R+19.2 | 39.49% | 55.32% | R+15.8 | R |
| 38 | 78.87% | 20.34% | D+58.5 | 76.44% | 20.51% | D+55.9 | D |
| 39 | 82.46% | 14.81% | D+67.7 | 82.71% | 12.52% | D+70.2 | D |
| 40 | 81.75% | 15.46% | D+66.3 | 82.84% | 11.67% | D+71.2 | D |
| 41 | 47.44% | 51.05% | R+3.6 | 55.32% | 38.20% | D+17.1 | R |
| 42 | 45.06% | 53.21% | R+8.2 | 51.28% | 41.48% | D+9.8 | R |
| 43 | 65.55% | 32.50% | D+33.1 | 65.81% | 28.61% | D+37.2 | D |
| 44 | 62.30% | 36.05% | D+26.3 | 62.48% | 32.17% | D+30.3 | D |
| 45 | 48.18% | 50.30% | R+2.1 | 48.39% | 46.46% | D+1.9 | R |
| 46 | 58.46% | 39.71% | D+18.8 | 59.07% | 35.26% | D+23.8 | D |
| 47 | 43.33% | 55.30% | R+12 | 51.72% | 41.63% | D+10.1 | R |
| 48 | 49.08% | 49.10% | R+0 | 55.13% | 37.66% | D+17.5 | R |
| 49 | 47.84% | 50.47% | R+2.6 | 52.14% | 40.94% | D+11.2 | R |
| 50 | 42.69% | 55.72% | R+13 | 44.59% | 48.88% | R+4.3 | R |
| 51 | 42.13% | 56.55% | R+14.4 | 50.03% | 43.68% | D+6.3 | R |
| 52 | 44.02% | 54.27% | R+10.3 | 45.31% | 48.09% | R+2.8 | R |
| 53 | 49.78% | 48.75% | D+1 | 55.58% | 38.54% | D+17 | R |
| 54 | 47.53% | 50.89% | R+3.4 | 53.16% | 40.31% | D+12.9 | R |
| 55 | 55.26% | 43.04% | D+12.2 | 57.50% | 37.06% | D+20.4 | D |
| 56 | 55.72% | 42.70% | D+13 | 56.72% | 37.77% | D+19 | D |
| 57 | 57.78% | 40.95% | D+16.8 | 61.54% | 33.50% | D+28 | D |
| 58 | 56.67% | 42.28% | D+14.4 | 67.90% | 27.15% | D+40.8 | D |
| 59 | 59.17% | 39.44% | D+19.7 | 64.53% | 30.30% | D+34.2 | D |
| 60 | 75.70% | 23.34% | D+52.4 | 75.53% | 20.08% | D+55.5 | D |
| 61 | 50.84% | 47.70% | D+3.1 | 51.76% | 42.09% | D+9.7 | R |
| 62 | 54.69% | 43.51% | D+11.2 | 55.13% | 38.21% | D+16.9 | D |
| 63 | 45.16% | 52.83% | R+7.7 | 40.55% | 52.68% | R+12.1 | R |
| 64 | 44.10% | 54.17% | R+10.1 | 41.29% | 52.51% | R+11.2 | R |
| 65 | 43.52% | 55.10% | R+11.6 | 46.78% | 47.37% | R+0.6 | R |
| 66 | 46.19% | 52.24% | R+6.1 | 46.91% | 46.96% | R+0.1 | R |
| 67 | 70.11% | 28.12% | D+42 | 64.34% | 30.36% | D+34 | D |
| 68 | 48.13% | 50.10% | R+2 | 44.36% | 49.75% | R+5.4 | R |
| 69 | 43.41% | 54.91% | R+11.5 | 38.97% | 55.13% | R+16.2 | R |
| 70 | 49.12% | 48.75% | D+0.4 | 46.09% | 46.77% | R+0.7 | R |
| 71 | 56.68% | 41.68% | D+15 | 43.93% | 50.00% | R+6.1 | R |
| 72 | 62.60% | 35.95% | D+26.7 | 53.78% | 40.19% | D+13.6 | D |
| 73 | 37.57% | 60.78% | R+23.2 | 34.45% | 59.10% | R+24.7 | R |
| 74 | 50.34% | 47.90% | D+2.4 | 37.36% | 56.41% | R+19.1 | R |
| 75 | 43.44% | 54.51% | R+11.1 | 36.58% | 57.17% | R+20.6 | R |
| 76 | 52.08% | 46.00% | D+6.1 | 42.52% | 51.68% | R+9.2 | R |
| 77 | 64.97% | 33.66% | D+31.3 | 64.89% | 30.98% | D+33.9 | D |
| 78 | 80.57% | 18.10% | D+62.5 | 80.12% | 15.92% | D+64.2 | D |
| 79 | 48.61% | 49.64% | R+1 | 41.25% | 53.07% | R+11.8 | R |
| 80 | 66.23% | 32.75% | D+33.5 | 64.99% | 31.42% | D+33.6 | D |
| 81 | 49.98% | 48.31% | D+1.7 | 54.80% | 38.55% | D+16.3 | R |
| 82 | 41.03% | 57.68% | R+16.7 | 43.86% | 50.67% | R+6.8 | R |
| 83 | 69.12% | 29.20% | D+39.9 | 69.54% | 24.80% | D+44.7 | D |
| 84 | 59.63% | 38.93% | D+20.7 | 63.03% | 31.19% | D+31.8 | D |
| 85 | 63.64% | 34.81% | D+28.8 | 60.90% | 33.45% | D+27.5 | D |
| 86 | 65.21% | 33.17% | D+32 | 61.15% | 34.04% | D+27.1 | D |
| 87 | 36.99% | 60.88% | R+23.9 | 30.62% | 63.34% | R+32.7 | R |
| 88 | 40.02% | 57.84% | R+17.8 | 38.41% | 54.54% | R+16.1 | R |
| 89 | 45.79% | 52.18% | R+6.4 | 35.99% | 57.98% | R+22 | R |
| 90 | 42.91% | 55.12% | R+12.2 | 36.05% | 57.26% | R+21.2 | R |
| 91 | 50.46% | 47.13% | D+3.3 | 37.74% | 55.81% | R+18.1 | R |
| 92 | 63.44% | 34.67% | D+28.8 | 59.86% | 34.18% | D+25.7 | D |
| 93 | 49.27% | 48.45% | D+0.8 | 36.82% | 57.40% | R+20.6 | R |
| 94 | 37.54% | 60.67% | R+23.1 | 26.64% | 68.63% | R+42 | R |
| 95 | 42.49% | 54.95% | R+12.5 | 28.84% | 65.74% | R+36.9 | R |
| 96 | 58.74% | 39.47% | D+19.3 | 50.73% | 44.13% | D+6.6 | D |
| 97 | 46.85% | 51.64% | R+4.8 | 47.31% | 46.94% | D+0.4 | R |
| 98 | 59.53% | 39.10% | D+20.4 | 58.02% | 36.87% | D+21.2 | D |
| 99 | 41.40% | 56.65% | R+15.3 | 41.34% | 52.43% | R+11.1 | R |
| 100 | 37.26% | 60.42% | R+23.2 | 25.75% | 69.57% | R+43.8 | R |
| 101 | 33.91% | 64.22% | R+30.3 | 28.70% | 65.31% | R+36.6 | R |
| 102 | 33.32% | 64.74% | R+31.4 | 26.87% | 67.69% | R+40.8 | R |
| 103 | 67.85% | 28.35% | D+39.5 | 71.56% | 20.92% | D+50.6 | D |
| 104 | 46.02% | 52.10% | R+6.1 | 42.48% | 52.16% | R+9.7 | R |
| 105 | 41.33% | 56.81% | R+15.5 | 45.19% | 47.11% | R+1.9 | R |
| 106 | 29.26% | 68.84% | R+39.6 | 22.90% | 71.51% | R+48.6 | R |
| 107 | 34.01% | 64.10% | R+30.1 | 22.81% | 72.62% | R+49.8 | R |
| 108 | 34.28% | 63.51% | R+29.2 | 26.75% | 67.49% | R+40.7 | R |
| 109 | 27.23% | 70.75% | R+43.5 | 17.21% | 79.13% | R+61.9 | R |
| 110 | 37.75% | 60.20% | R+22.5 | 27.66% | 67.10% | R+39.4 | R |
| 111 | 51.31% | 46.13% | D+5.2 | 39.05% | 55.40% | R+16.4 | D |
| 112 | 48.97% | 48.87% | D+0.1 | 44.35% | 49.85% | R+5.5 | D |
| 113 | 58.59% | 39.41% | D+19.2 | 53.73% | 41.03% | D+12.7 | D |
| 114 | 63.89% | 34.84% | D+29.1 | 57.60% | 38.35% | D+19.3 | D |
| 115 | 43.13% | 53.93% | R+10.8 | 33.20% | 61.29% | R+28.1 | R |
| 116 | 41.16% | 56.77% | R+15.6 | 29.39% | 66.21% | R+36.8 | D |
| 117 | 37.92% | 59.99% | R+22.1 | 26.42% | 69.38% | R+43 | R |
| 118 | 39.86% | 58.03% | R+18.2 | 28.44% | 67.59% | R+39.2 | D |
| Total | 57.61% | 40.74% | D+16.9 | 55.96% | 38.85% | D+17.1 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/7–59," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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