Pritzker wins third Illinois governor term

Gov. JB Pritzker won a third term as Illinois governor on Tuesday. He defeated Republican challenger Darren Bailey in his second consecutive reelection bid. The victory makes Pritzker the longest-serving Democratic governor in Illinois history. The Associated Press called the race for Pritzker minutes after polls closed.

Pritzker’s victory margin was wide. In 2022, he defeated Bailey by nearly 13 percentage points. Bailey is a southern Illinois farmer and former state legislator. He faced a fractured Republican Party and a Democrat with substantial campaign resources. The only question for observers was whether Bailey could keep his vote deficit from growing larger in a reliably blue state.

About 1,000 supporters gathered at the Aon Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier in Chicago. They cheered as results were broadcast shortly after 7 p.m. Pritzker easily outpolled Bailey. He also beat Collin Corbett, an independent candidate who ran as a socially moderate and fiscally conservative option.

Pritzker has not hidden his potential interest in a presidential run. He has built a nationwide Democratic network and appeared frequently on cable news to criticize President Donald Trump. Republicans, including Bailey, have long suggested the governor uses his state job as a stepping stone to the White House. Pritzker says he has unfinished business in Springfield after two terms that included a global pandemic and conflicts with the federal administration.

“I’m somebody that still believes in getting big things done,” Pritzker told the Sun-Times before Election Day. “Eight years later, I think I’ve learned a lot about how to protect people in this state from Donald Trump and from his policies, and I’m going to continue to do that.” He becomes the first three-term Illinois governor since Republican Jim Thompson won his third term in 1982.

Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, spent over $90 million on his self-funded campaign. He reminded voters of 12 credit rating upgrades for the state. He also cited legislative victories such as raising the state minimum wage, legalizing recreational marijuana and sports betting, and setting clean-energy goals. His campaign ran ads portraying Bailey as a close ally of President Trump, who endorsed Bailey again this year.

Bailey held a smaller watch party at an Effingham hotel. Several dozen people attended, many wearing red campaign merchandise. One supporter dressed as Abraham Lincoln. Bailey’s campaign tried to distance itself from Trump, who remains unpopular in Cook County and the collar counties. Bailey focused on the rising cost of living, crime, and the education system. He pledged to cut property taxes, which fund much of the state’s education infrastructure.

Bailey rose to prominence in the state legislature early in the pandemic as a critic of Pritzker’s mitigation measures. His campaign struggled to attract conservative megadonors. He entered the final stretch with about $500,000 in cash on hand. “People are ready for change,” Bailey told the Sun-Times in mid-October. “We didn’t really sense that so much four years ago here in the city, but the high cost of living, the high cost of doing business seems to be taking a toll now.”

Bailey moved to a Chicago apartment to connect with city voters who rejected him in 2022. The move drew a complaint from the Democratic Party of Illinois regarding campaign finance reporting for his city rent. In the final week of the race, Bailey and his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, spent most of their time in downstate Illinois urging their base to vote.