Politics

Illinois Democrats Seek to Keep Control of Statewide Offices

With polls closed Tuesday night, Illinois Democrats will soon find out whether they’ve continued their winning streak in the state.

Democrats have occupied all six statewide constitutional offices since 2019; these include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer. Democrats haven’t lost a statewide race since 2014, when Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka won their races.

As incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker faces off against GOP challenger Darren Bailey, here’s a look at the remaining statewide constitutional races.

Illinois Secretary of State

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias was sworn in as Illinois secretary of state in 2023. He previously served as state treasurer (2007-2011) and founded the private investment firm Annoula Ventures. He unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2010. In addition to his reelection bid, Giannoulias is running for mayor of Chicago in the Feb. 23, 2027, election. The Chicago native told Capitol News Illinois that “when you’re interviewing for a job, you don’t leave the one that you’re in.”

His challenger, Diane Harris, is a Republican from Will County who’s a member of the Joliet Junior College board. If elected, she told CNI, she wants to mandate that drivers are able to pass rules of the road tests in English. The state currently offers those tests in English, Spanish and other languages at the discretion of the secretary of state, including Chinese and Polish.

The secretary of state’s office is responsible for issuing driver’s licenses, registering vehicles, maintaining the state’s organ donor registry and incorporating business entities. The secretary of state also serves as state archivist and state librarian and regulates Illinois’ investment industry.

Illinois Comptroller

In the only statewide race without an incumbent on the ballot, Democratic state Rep. Margaret Croke and Republican attorney Bryan Drew will face off for Illinois comptroller. 

Democratic incumbent Susana Mendoza announced last year she would not seek a fourth term. The longtime politician is running for Chicago mayor in the Feb. 23, 2027, election.

Croke has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2021. The Oak Park native previously held leadership positions in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and was on Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2018 campaign staff. She said the state needs steady fiscal leadership in light of the “economic uncertainty and instability being caused by the Trump administration.”

Drew has been an attorney in southern Illinois for more than 25 years. He owns a cafe with his wife and previously served as an elected trustee of the Rend Lake Community College Board. Drew told CNI he wants to fix the comptroller’s website, make nonprofits easier to track and use artificial intelligence to identify potential waste, fraud and abuse.

The comptroller is the state’s chief fiscal control officer, tasked with signing paychecks and approving payments to both employees and creditors. The comptroller sits on the Illinois State Board of Investment, chairs the State Employees’ Retirement System Board and regulates cemeteries under the Cemetery Care Act.

Illinois Attorney General

Democrat Kwame Raoul has served as Illinois’ attorney general since 2019. The son of Haitian immigrants, Raoul previously worked as a Cook County prosecutor, a partner at two corporate law firms and an Illinois state senator (2004-2019). Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Raoul has filed or joined about 90 lawsuits against the Trump administration — many fighting to preserve state funding.

Republican opponent Bob Fioretti said the office needs to focus more on violent crime and corruption. The former Democrat, Chicago native and longtime attorney previously served as a Chicago alderperson (2007-2015). He has run unsuccessfully for Cook County state’s attorney, mayor of Chicago, Cook County Board president and state senator.

As Illinois’ chief legal officer, the attorney general is responsible for protecting the public interest. The attorney general legislates with members of the General Assembly for new laws and litigates to ensure laws are followed.

Illinois Treasurer

Democrat Mike Frerichs has been Illinois’ treasurer since 2015. Frerichs, who grew up in a central Illinois farming community, previously served in the state Senate (2007-2015) and as Champaign County auditor. Frerichs has touted growing Illinois’ investment portfolio and turning around the Bright Start college savings program.

No Republican submitted petitions to secure a spot on the March primary ballot, leading south suburban attorney Max Solomon to ditch his run for governor and pivot to a write-in campaign for treasurer. He secured more than 60,000 write-in votes in March to earn the GOP line on the November ballot. Solomon told CNI he ditched his gubernatorial campaign because he can “advocate for the same policies” he cares about “from any statewide office.” He has said he wants to root out “fraudulent and wasteful spending.”

The treasurer is the state’s chief investment and banking officer. The treasurer is tasked with protecting the state’s portfolio and investing money on behalf of the state and local units of government. The treasurer’s office also oversees the Unclaimed Property Program.

Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.

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