9 candidates are running: Collin Corbett (Independent), Darren Bailey (Republican), Elizabeth Ann Sebesta (Write-in), Griselda Romero (Green), JB Pritzker (Democratic), Mike Vick (Illinois Solidarity), Misty Metroz (Write-in), Patricia L. Tillman (Write-in), and Richard Benedict Mayers (Write-in). JB Pritzker is the incumbent.

Unofficial result: the winner is JB Pritzker (Democratic).

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Name: Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Start: 2026-11-03
Location: Illinois

Projected result: Won — JB Pritzker (Democratic)

Source: nbcchicago.com

Illinois

My vote power: Average

What does this office do?

Signing or vetoing bills that become state law
Proposing the state budget for schools, roads, and health care
Picking who leads state agencies

Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,

Candidates:

Collin Corbett

Lost

Independent

Collin Corbett is a political consultant from Palatine who founded the firm Cor Strategies and hosted the Smoke-Filled Room podcast. He left the Republican Party in 2026 and argues state government should focus on practical problem solving instead of party fights.

Records: Women's Reproductive Rights 1 for

Darren Bailey

Lost

Republican

Darren Bailey is a third-generation grain farmer from Xenia in southern Illinois who founded a private Christian school with his wife. He served in the Illinois House and then the Illinois Senate, and spent 17 years on the North Clay school board, 12 as its president.

Records: Anti-Corruption 3 for, Government Efficiency 2 for, Government Spending Reduction 1 for,

Elizabeth Ann Sebesta

Lost

Write-in

Sebesta has appeared in Illinois election records as a write-in candidate for governor. Current public sources do not document elected or appointed office, a professional biography, or an organization role.

Griselda Romero

Lost

Green

Romero is a licensed professional counselor with more than a decade of crisis mental-health experience in homes, schools, hospitals, nonprofit agencies, and work supporting local law enforcement.

JB Pritzker

Won

Democratic · Incumbent

J.B. Pritzker is the Democratic Governor of Illinois, in office since 2019 and seeking a third term in 2026. A businessman and philanthropist, he is a member of the Pritzker family.

Records: Civil Rights 1 for, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties 1 for, Environment and Public Health 1 for,

Mike Vick

Lost

Illinois Solidarity

Vick is a journalist, media producer, podcast host, labor organizer, and consumer advocate. He has worked with SEIU Healthcare, Working America, Greenpeace, Citizens Action Coalition, and faith-based civic groups.

Misty Metroz

Lost

Write-in

Metroz is an administrative specialist in the registrar's office at Illinois Wesleyan University. Public sources document university administrative work and prior participation in Bloomington civic meetings.

Patricia L. Tillman

Lost

Write-in

Tillman has filed statewide and Chicago municipal candidacies and pursued ballot-access litigation involving the Illinois State Board of Elections. Public sources do not document elected or appointed office.

Richard Benedict Mayers

Lost

Write-in

Mayers has submitted ballot petitions and write-in declarations in numerous Illinois municipal, state, and federal contests. Official election records document this activity but no elected or appointed public service.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org 2