Illinois voters decide Pritzker-Bailey rematch

Voters in Illinois cast ballots on Tuesday for the state governorship, concluding a campaign that pits incumbent Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker against Republican challenger Darren Bailey. This contest mirrors the 2022 race, where Pritzker defeated Bailey by nearly 13 points. Polls across the state closed at 7 p.m., with results expected to begin arriving approximately 30 minutes later.

The current administration has maintained a steady policy agenda during the final days of the campaign. Pritzker’s team highlighted recent legislative actions, including the near doubling of the state minimum wage and the elimination of the grocery tax. These measures are central to the campaign’s message regarding the cost of living in Illinois.

Bailey is running to make the governor’s office Republican for the first time since 2019, when Bruce Rauner departed the position. He holds an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Bailey addressed reporters in downtown Chicago on Monday morning, acknowledging the long tenure of the current administration. "JB Pritzker’s had eight years. Look at where we’re at," Bailey said to the group.

In his final campaign stop, Pritzker addressed Democratic supporters in Collinsville. He pointed to national voter registration data to gauge momentum for the party. "You can see in the voter turnout that we've seen across the country that young people, Black voters, Latino voters and working families are showing up in numbers we haven't seen really since before 2018," Pritzker stated. "That was a huge year. This one seems to be even bigger."

Bailey also spoke to a crowd in Chicago, a city he had previously described as a "hellhole" during his last bid for the office. He adopted a conciliatory tone toward undecided or first-time Republican voters. "Some of you out there have never voted for a Republican before. Some of you have questions about me and some of you obviously disagree with me. I respect that," Bailey said.

If elected, Bailey intends to suspend the state gas tax for six months and roll back recent toll increases on his first day in office. Pritzker’s campaign maintains that the current policies are sufficient to improve affordability for residents.

Both campaigns are monitoring the national results for the U.S. House and Senate. Pritzker predicted that Democrats will secure majorities in both chambers of Congress. The final tally for the governor’s race will determine which candidate takes the oath of office for the next term.