Illinois Governor Race

2026 Election
Back to Governor Races

Primary

Democratic Primary

Held March 17, 2026.

CandidateVotes%
JB Pritzker ✓ 1,197,587 100.0%

Republican Primary

Held March 17, 2026.

CandidateVotes%
Darren Bailey ✓ 304,162 53.3%
Ted Dabrowski 165,229 28.9%
James Mendrick 54,599 9.6%
Rick Heidner 46,374 8.1%

Full calendar and every race: Illinois primary guide

Race Overview

Incumbent
JB Pritzker
Party
Democrat
Open Seat
No
Current Rating
Safe D our polls
Polls
3 polls

PollingSource Rating

Safe D
Our polling average D+19.2 · 3 polls

Toss-up = under 3 pts · Lean = 3–6 · Likely = 6–10 · Safe = 10+ (our poll average). "D+12.6" = Democrat ahead by 12.6 points. Tilt = a slight edge, used for expert averages and some House ratings.

General Election Polling Trend

Showing the published average. The rating above uses this figure.

The right edge is that same average of the last three polls. This is an average, not a forecast.

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Expert Ratings

Cook Political Report

Solid D

Inside Elections

Solid Democrat

Candidates

JB Pritzker

JB Pritzker Nominee Incumbent

Democrat
Darren Bailey

Darren Bailey Nominee

Republican

General Election Polling Average

Democrat
55.6%
Republican
36.4%
Margin
D+19.2
Latest poll in average
Oct 22, 2026

LV = likely voters · RV = registered voters · ± = margin of error · R-sponsored / D-sponsored / I-sponsored = paid for by a Republican, Democratic, or Independent group · "missed 2024 by X pts" = that firm's average miss in 2024

Average is the unweighted mean of the last three scientific public polls. Fewer than three uses the polls that exist. The rating uses that average when the newest poll ended in the last 30 days. The table lists the polls in that average, plus the most recent 30 days or the newest 3 polls, whichever is more. How accurate is each pollster? →

Pollster Date Sample MoE Dem Rep
ActiVote In average 2026-10-22 this poll 400 LV ±4.90 JB Pritzker 58.70% Darren Bailey 41.30%
Public Policy Polling D-sponsored missed 2024 by 2.0 pts In average 2026-10-01 this poll 569 LV JB Pritzker 54.00% Darren Bailey 34.00%
Victory Research In average 2025-11-24 this poll 1208 LV ±2.80 JB Pritzker 54.00% Darren Bailey 34.00%

Questions About This Race

Who is winning the 2026 Illinois governor's race?

JB Pritzker leads Darren Bailey 55.6% to 36.4% in the PollingSource polling average — a D+19.2 margin based on 3 polls, the last three or fewer.

Is the 2026 Illinois governor's race competitive?

No — the PollingSource polling average rates it Safe D for Democrats.

What does the latest poll of the 2026 Illinois governor's race say?

The most recent poll in our average, from ActiVote (completed October 22, 2026), found JB Pritzker (D) at 58.7% and Darren Bailey (R) at 41.3%.

When is the 2026 Illinois governor's race decided?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

How is the PollingSource average calculated?

The PollingSource average is the unweighted mean of the last three scientific public polls, or fewer when fewer exist. One poll sets the rating when it ended in the last 30 days. We do not exclude pollsters. The table lists recent polls, including ones older than those three. Full details: pollingsource.com/methodology.

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