By Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – More Republicans are entering races for statewide office after an initially slow start in announcing candidates for the 2026 election.
Ted Dabrowski says he will launch his campaign for governor in a few weeks
Illinois Republicans held their annual events around the Illinois State Fair on Thursday, with former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy launching a U.S. Senate campaign and Ted Dabrowski, the president of conservative research group Wirepoints, announcing he will launch a campaign for governor in the coming weeks.
The men enter the 2026 race a week after the window opened for candidates to begin collecting signatures that are due to the State Board of Elections at the end of October.
Ted Dabrowski, president of the conservative media outlet Wirepoints, speaks to reporters after telling fellow Republicans he plans to announce a bid for governor soon.(Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
“For 15 years I’ve been working on reporting on Illinois, on these problems, suggesting a lot of solutions, and what I’ve seen is the state continue to go downhill,” Dabrowski told reporters.
Dabrowski’s Wirepoints.org publishes research and commentary on state policy issues and advocates for conservative solutions on pensions, taxes, governance and other public policy issues. Before joining Wirepoints in 2017, Dabrowski was vice president of policy for the conservative Illinois Policy Institute think tank after spending nearly 20 years in banking.
He said the state’s business climate, tax burden and population growth have gotten worse under Gov. JB Pritzker, who is seeking a third term in 2026. Dabrowski said he is focused on improving reading scores in schools, making life more affordable and creating jobs.
But a major question Republican candidates will have to answer is where they align with President Donald Trump. Dabrowski side-stepped the question on Thursday.
“Illinois’ problems having nothing to do with Donald Trump,” Dabrowski said. “He can’t fix the property taxes. He can’t fix the gas taxes. He can’t fix our outmigration. We have to fix it.”
Mendrick focuses on crime.
Dabrowski is joined by DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick in the race, who called Medicaid cuts signed by Trump “unsustainable,” but said he believes the president is doing a good job overall.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick talks to reporters at the Illinois State Fair. He is running for governor in 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
“I don’t really follow the national, the presidential stuff, a whole lot, but I’ll be honest with you: so far what I’m seeing, financially, it looks like he’s doing pretty good,” Mendrick said. “I can’t think of anything that he’s doing right now that I would disagree with.”