State executive race · November 3, 2026
Governor
The governor is Illinois's chief executive, who proposes the state budget, signs or vetoes legislation, and appoints the leaders of state agencies.
4-year term. Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is seeking a third term. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected jointly on one ticket. Three tickets are printed on the ballot. Party primaries were held March 17, 2026.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Darren Bailey
Farmer; former state senatorRunning mate: Aaron Del Mar (Lieutenant Governor)
Bailey is a southern Illinois farmer who served in the Illinois House and Senate from 2019 to 2023 and was the 2022 Republican nominee for governor. He won the March 2026 Republican primary with about 53% of the vote. His campaign centers on lowering taxes and government spending, property tax relief, and public safety.
Collin Corbett
Small business owner; former Republican political strategistRunning mate: Carolyn Schofield (Lieutenant Governor)
Corbett founded the political consulting firm Cor Strategies, which worked for Republican candidates, and is a former Republican running as an independent in his first bid for office. He qualified for the ballot by petition. He describes himself as a moderate and a fiscal conservative who supports abortion rights.
JB Pritzker
Governor of IllinoisRunning mate: Christian Mitchell (Lieutenant Governor)
Pritzker, a businessman and investor from the family that founded Hyatt, has been governor since 2019 and is seeking a third term. He ran unopposed in the March 2026 Democratic primary. His campaign centers on his record on costs, taxes and the state's finances, and on opposing Trump administration policies.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Darren Bailey Republican | Collin Corbett Independent | JB Pritzker Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abortion | Describes himself as pro-life. As a legislator, he backed a 2019 bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks except in medical emergencies and legislation to repeal the Reproductive Health Act. | Supports abortion rights. | Signed the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, which made access to abortion a fundamental right under state law, and opposes federal limits on reproductive rights. |
| Guns | Supports Second Amendment rights. As a legislator, he backed a bill to eliminate the state's FOID (Firearm Owner's Identification) card requirement. | Supports more gun control measures. | Signed a state ban on assault weapons in January 2023. |
| Taxes | Supports lowering taxes and cutting government spending. | Proposes a state tax on services and calls the state's reliance on sales taxes "regressive." Describes himself as a fiscal conservative. | Cites eliminating the state grocery sales tax and doubling the state child tax credit. |
| Education | Says schools should be fully funded and that parents should be empowered to make choices for their children's education. | No public position found yet | Opposes Trump administration efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. |
| Public Safety | Says he would hold violent criminals accountable and target repeat offenders. Has criticized the SAFE-T Act, which ended cash bail. | No public position found yet | Signed the 2021 criminal justice law (SAFE-T Act) that ended cash bail in Illinois, which took effect in September 2023. |
| Civil Rights | No public position found yet | Supports marriage equality. | No public position found yet |
| Energy & Environment | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Opposes federal rollbacks of climate protections; his ticket highlights expanding clean energy. |
| Health Care | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Cites efforts to lower prescription drug prices. |
| Housing | Says he would rein in government waste to deliver property tax relief. | No public position found yet | No public position found yet |
| Immigration | No public position found yet | No public position found yet | Opposes the federal immigration enforcement surge in Chicago. |