Politics
Conservative Ted Dabrowski Officially Launches Bid to Become Next Illinois Governor
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. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)
Ted Dabrowski, an Illinois Republican who heads the conservative research group Wirepoints, has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker in 2026.
Dabrowski, the president of Wirepoints and former vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute, officially launched his campaign on Friday to challenge Pritzker, the Democratic incumbent who is seeking a third term in next fall’s election.
“I know the system, I know the players, I know how the sausage is made and why it tastes so bad,” Dabrowski said in announcing his campaign from a home in Wilmette Friday morning. “And I know if we don’t revitalize the Republican Party with strong executive leadership, we cannot resuscitate the state of Illinois.”
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 spent six years at the Illinois Policy Institute think tank after a nearly 20-year career in banking.
He had previously indicated he planned to make a gubernatorial run and said the state’s business climate, tax burden and population growth have gotten worse under Pritzker. Dabrowski said he is focused on improving reading scores in schools, making life more affordable and creating jobs.
He criticized Pritzker — a potential 2028 presidential candidate who has repeatedly attacked Donald Trump while the president has threatened to send National Guard troops and immigration authorities into Chicago — for his “extreme and reckless rhetoric.”
“We’ve seen that with his calls for disruption and his characterization of federal law enforcement as a terrorist organization,” Dabrowski said. “Pritzker may believe his conduct advances his presidential ambitions, but I think Illinois families are ready for responsible leadership that advances their ambitions.”
Dabrowski becomes the second Republican to officially enter the race after DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick launched his own campaign in February.
Former Illinois state senator Darren Bailey — who unsuccessfully challenged Pritzker in 2022 — is also expected to announce his campaign later this month.
Republican Illinois state Sen. Jason Plummer, who introduced Dabrowski during Friday’s announcement, said Pritzker has had two terms and two supermajorities in Springfield to fix the “very, very serious” problems faced statewide but he instead blames politicians 1,500 miles away in Washington.
“No matter what issues you want to touch on,” Plummer said, pointing to crime, education, high taxes and utility bills and statewide unemployment, “JB Pritzker has had the time, the legislative power and, we all know, the financial resource to address these issues yet he has failed on every one, kicking the can down the road, leaving these problems for future generations.”
Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.
