Conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski enters Illinois GOP primary for
governor
[September 13, 2025]
By Ben Szalinski
Ted Dabrowski, the leader of a conservative research publication,
officially announced Friday he will run for Illinois governor in the
2026 Republican primary.
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 was vice president of policy for the
conservative Illinois Policy Institute think tank after spending nearly
20 years in banking.
“I am not from the political system,” Dabrowski said from his Wilmette
home. “I know the system; I know the players. I know how the sausage is
made and why it tastes so bad. And I know that if we don’t revitalize
the Republican Party with strong executive leadership, we cannot
resuscitate the state of Illinois.”
Though Dabrowski has built his reputation in Illinois politics by
leaning into analytical, data-driven arguments, he signaled that his
message on the campaign trail might be different.
“We will win this race by laying out a competing vision for Illinois,
one rooted in conservative reform principles,” Dabrowski said. “And as
much as I like charts and graphs, the main feature of my candidacy will
be the moral clarity on those matters which impact the quality of life
for productive Illinoisians who play by the rules.”
Dabrowski announced that his running mate will be Carrie Mendoza, an
emergency room doctor from the Chicago area. She previously held a
director position at the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, a
group that has opposed lessons on gender in schools.
Dabrowski did not take questions from reporters following his
announcement.
Fundraising leader
Dabrowski enters the race as the immediate leader in fundraising after
first saying last month that he planned to run for governor.
Dabrowski has raised $1.2 million, including from his own seed money, in
contributions of $1,000 or more.
State Board of Election records show Dabrowski loaned $250,000 to his
campaign at the end of August — a move that eliminated fundraising
restrictions for all candidates in the race.
Other contributions reported to the State Board of Elections over the
last month show he has received several other large contributions of
$100,000 or more from various people in finance and philanthropy in the
Chicago area.
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Ted Dabrowski talks to fellow Republicans at a State Central
Committee meeting in Springfield on Aug. 14, 2025.
The stiffest competition for Dabrowski and other Republican candidates
for governor — former state Sen. Darren Bailey — is likely to officially
enter the race in the coming days. Bailey was the party’s 2022 nominee
for governor, and sources confirmed he’s planning a second run to try to
beat Gov. JB Pritzker. He received 57% of the vote in the 2022 primary.
It’s still unclear who Bailey’s financial backers will be as he has not
been actively fundraising for state office. He had just $2,800 in his
campaign fund as of June 30. Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein was
his primary funding source in 2022.
“I’m very aware of the skepticism about the Republican Party’s prospects
and Illinois’ future, but we have a strong team, and we are and will be
well-funded,” Dabrowski said. “Illinoisans have Pritzker fatigue, and
they’re looking for a credible alternative.”
The other two candidates in the race have also not reported substantial
fundraising. DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick’s financial records show
he had $100,588 on hand at the end of June and has reported $11,000 in
contributions of $1,000 or more since then. Joe Severino, a Lake Forest
resident who is also running for governor, has not reported any
contributions to the State Board of Elections.
One of Dabrowski’s earliest supporters is Sen. Jason Plummer,
R-Edwardsville, who is chair of his campaign.
“He has spent 15 years researching, digging and offering solutions,
highlighting the failings,” Plummer said “A lot of people in the state
may not know the name Ted Dabrowski yet, but I assure you they know his
work. He has shed light on so many of our problems.”
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government
coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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