What to know about the Illinois Republican primary race for governor
Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and James Mendrick are running for the Republican nomination for governor to advance to a general election matchup with Gov. JB Pritzker, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
So what?
The Republican nominee will aim to prevent a third term for Pritzker, who is widely considered to have presidential ambitions in 2028. Republicans have been shut out of all statewide offices in Illinois since Pritzker unseated former Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018.
What does a governor do?
The governor is the state’s chief executive, signing state bills into law, overseeing numerous state agencies and advocating for the state on the national stage.
Why is governor a powerful position?
The governor helps set the legislative agenda for the Illinois General Assembly, proposes state budgets, appoints leaders of state agencies and advocates for federal resources.
Who are the candidates?
Darren Bailey, a farmer and former state legislator from Xenia in southern Illinois, won the 2022 GOP nomination for governor in a landslide before losing to Pritzker by nearly 13 percentage points in the general election. After a failed bid for Congress, Bailey's looking to run it back against Pritzker, this time with lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, the Cook County Republican Party chair who joined the ticket in an effort to court moderate suburban voters.
Ted Dabrowski is the former president of the conservative research and commentary website Wirepoints and a former leader and spokesman of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute. The Wilmette resident’s running mate is Carrie Mendoza, an emergency physician.
Rick Heidner is a video gambling mogul, real estate entrepreneur and frequent political donor to both sides of the aisle. His businesses sometimes have had contentious relationships with state regulators under the Pritzker administration. Heidner's running mate is Christina Neitzke-Troike, mayor of southwest suburban Homer Glen.
James Mendrick is the two-term sheriff of DuPage County. His running mate is author and Army veteran Robert Renteria.