2026 Illinois Comptroller election
November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Illinois State Comptroller election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the state comptroller of Illinois. Incumbent Democrat Susana Mendoza declined to run for a third full term.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Margaret Croke, state representative from the 12th district (2021–present)[1]
Eliminated in primary
- Stephanie Kifowit, state representative from the 84th district (2013–present)[2]
- Holly Kim, Lake County Treasurer[1]
- Karina Villa, state senator from the 25th district (2021–present)[1]
Disqualified
- George Danos, Champaign County Auditor[1]
Declined
- Rickey Hendon, former state senator from the 84th district (1993–2011)[3]
- Susana Mendoza, incumbent state comptroller (endorsed Kim)[4][5]
Endorsements
Margaret Croke
- Executive branch officials
- Bill Daley, former White House Chief of Staff (2011–2012)[6]
- U.S. senators
- Roland Burris, former U.S. senator from Illinois (2009–2010)[7]
- U.S. representatives
- Mike Quigley, IL-05 (2009–present)[8]
- Statewide officials
- JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois (2019–present)[9]
- Daniel Hynes, former Illinois Comptroller (1999–2011)[10]
- Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General (2019–present)[11]
- State legislators
- Anthony DeLuca, state representative from the 80th district (2009–present)[12]
- Sara Feigenholtz, state senator from the 6th district (2020–present)[12]
- Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, state representative from the 22nd district (2021–present)[12]
- Michael Hastings, state senator from the 24th district (2019–present)[12]
- Debbie Meyers-Martin, state representative from the 38th district (2019–present)[12]
- Bob Morgan, state representative from the 58th district (2019–present)[12]
- Local officials
- Precious Brady-Davis, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commissioner (2020–present)[13]
- Red Burnett, Chicago alder from the 27th ward (2025–present)[14]
- Walter Burnett Jr., former vice mayor of Chicago (2023–2025) and alder from the 27th ward (1995–2025)[14]
- Deb Conroy, chair of the DuPage County Board (2022–present)[15]
- Derrick Curtis, Chicago alder from the 18th ward (2015–present)[14]
- John Daley, Cook County commissioner from the 11th district (1992–present)[13]
- Bridget Degnen, Cook County commissioner from the 12th district (2018–present)[13]
- Bridget Gainer, Cook County commissioner from the 10th district (2009–present)[13]
- Monica Gordon, Cook County Clerk (2024–present)[13]
- William Hall, Chigago alder from the 6th ward (2023–present)[14]
- Bill Lowry, Cook County commissioner from the 3rd district (2018–present)[13]
- Kisha McCaskill, Cook County commissioner from the 5th district (2025–present)[13]
- Eileen O'Neill Burke, Cook County State's Attorney (2024–present)[13]
- Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer (1998–present)[13]
- Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (2010–present)[13]
- Larry Rogers, Jr., Cook County Board of Review commissioner from the 3rd district (2004–present)[13]
- Michael Scott Jr., Cook County commissioner from the 2nd district (2024–present)[13]
- Anna Valencia, Chicago City Clerk (2017–present)[16]
- 2 other Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago commissioners[13]
- Individuals
- Lester Crown, businessman[6]
- Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox[6]
- Party chapters
- Labor unions
- Chicago Laborers’ District Council[18]
- Downstate Illinois Laborers’ District Council[18]
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 476[19]
- Illinois Pipe Trades Association[20]
- Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council[21]
- Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 360[22]
- Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 25[22]
- Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 137[22]
- Plumbers & Tech Engineers Local 130[22]
- Sprinkler Fitters Local 281[22]
- Steamfitters Local 439[22]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881[23]
- Newspapers
Stephanie Kifowit
- U.S. representatives
- Danny Davis, IL-07 (1997–present)[21]
- State legislators
- Kate Cloonen, former state representative from the 79th district (2013–2017)[25]
- Will Davis, state representative from the 30th district (2003–present)[25]
- Sonya Harper, state representative from the 6th district (2015–present)[25]
- Joyce Mason, state representative from the 61st district (2019–present)[25]
- Michelle Mussman, state representative from the 56th district (2011–present)[25]
- Al Riley, former state representative from the 38th district (2007–2019)[25]
- Sue Scherer, state representative from the 96th district (2013–present)[25]
- Labor unions
- Cement Masons Local 502[26]
- Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2[27]
- Chicago Fraternal Order of Police[28]
- Illinois Federation of Public Employees Local 4408[29]
- Illinois Fraternal Order of Police[30]
- Illinois Painters District Councils 14, 30, and 58[31]
- International Association of Fire Fighters Locals 99 and 4302[25][27]
- National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 219[25]
- United Steelworkers District 7[32]
- United Steelworkers Local 17U[25]
- United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local 11[33]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Holly Kim
- U.S. representatives
- Grace Meng, NY-06 (2013–present)[34]
- Brad Schneider, IL-10 (2013–2015, 2017–present)[37]
- Bobby Rush, former IL-01 (1993–2023)[38]
- Statewide officials
- Susana Mendoza, Illinois Comptroller (2016–present)[5]
- State legislators
- Lauren Beth Gash, former state representative from the 60th district (1993–2001) and Lake County Democratic chair[39]
- Natalie Manley, state representative from the 98th district (2013–present)[40]
- Larry Walsh, state representative from the 86th district (2012–present)[40]
- Local officials
- Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County executive (2020–present)[40]
- Daniel Biss, mayor of Evanston (2021–present)[41]
- Tom McNamara, mayor of Rockford (2017–present)[42]
- David Moore, Chicago alder from the 17th ward (2015–present)[43]
- Kevin Morrison, Cook County commissioner from the 15th district (2018–present)[44]
- Josina Morita, Cook County commissioner from the 13th district (2022–present)[44]
- Labor unions
- American Federation of Government Employees District 7[19]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Locals 301, 700, and 705[19]
- National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 80[45]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 431[19]
Karina Villa
- U.S. senators
- Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator from Vermont (2007–present)[46]
- U.S. representatives
- Jamaal Bowman, former NY-16 (2021–2025)[47]
- Chuy Garcia, IL-04 (2019–present)[48]
- Delia Ramirez, IL-03 (2023–present)[49]
- Lauren Underwood, IL-14 (2019–present)[50]
- State legislators
- Bill Cunningham, president pro tempore of the Illinois Senate (2020–present) from the 18th district (2013–present)[48]
- Don Harmon, President of the Illinois Senate (2020–present) from the 39th district (2003–present)[48]
- Kimberly Lightford, Majority Leader of the Illinois Senate (2019–present) from the 4th district (1998–present)[48]
- 15 other state legislators[a]
- Labor unions
- Chicago Teachers Union[51]
- Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600[52]
- Illinois Federation of Teachers[53]
- National Association of Social Workers Illinois[54]
- SEIU Heathcare[55]
- Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council[56]
- Organizations
Declined to endorse
- Labor unions
- Chicago Federation of Labor[59]
- Illinois AFL-CIO[60]
- International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 150 and 399[61][62]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[b] |
Margin of error |
Margaret Croke |
George Danos | Stephanie Kifowit | Holly Kim |
Karina Villa | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulchin Research (D)[63][c] | November 12–17, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 9% | 8% | – | 72% |
| Change Research (D)[64] | October 13–17, 2025 | 679 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 6% | 7% | 3%[d] | 78% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Margaret Croke | 391,450 | 34.6 | |
| Democratic | Karina Villa | 364,523 | 32.3 | |
| Democratic | Holly Kim | 275,560 | 24.4 | |
| Democratic | Stephanie Kifowit | 98,745 | 8.7 | |
| Total votes | 1,130,278 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Bryan Drew, attorney[65]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bryan Drew | |||
| Total votes | ||||
Notes
- ^
- Christopher Belt, state senator from the 57th district (2019–present)[48]
- Javier Cervantes, state senator from the 1st district (2022–present)[48]
- Lakesia Collins, state senator from the 5th district (2023–present)[48]
- Mary Edly-Allen, state senator from the 31st district (2023–present)[48]
- Paul Faraci, state senator from the 52nd district (2023–present)[48]
- Graciela Guzmán, state senator from the 20th district (2025–present)[48]
- Mattie Hunter, state senator from the 3rd district (2003–present)[48]
- Dave Koehler, state senator from the 46th district (2006–present)[48]
- Laura Murphy, state senator from the 28th district (2015–present)[48]
- Robert Peters, state senator from the 13th district (2019–present)[48]
- Willie Preston, state senator from the 16th district (2023–present)[48]
- Elgie Sims, state senator from the 17th district (2018–present)[48]
- Steve Stadelman, state senator from the 34th district (2013–present)[48]
- Rachel Ventura, state senator from the 43rd district (2023–present)[48]
- Ram Villivalam, state senator from the 8th district (2019–present)[48]
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ^ This poll was sponsored by Villa's campaign
- ^ "Would not vote" with 3%
References
- ^ a b c d Hill, Tyler (January 9, 2026). "Champaign County Auditor removed from Comptroller ballot". WCIA. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
- ^ Pearson, Rick (August 11, 2025). "State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit joins growing Democratic field running for Illinois comptroller". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Dems revolt at slating meeting: Skip Senate race, pick Hynes over Kaegi". Southwest Regional Publishing. July 21, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Adams, Andrew (July 16, 2025). "Comptroller Mendoza won't run for reelection, opening up statewide office". NPR Illinois. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (March 2, 2026). "How war could reshape the primaries". Politico. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c Kapos, Shia (December 11, 2025). "Chicago budget mutiny tests the mayor". Politico. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (December 4, 2025). "Tennessee swing jolts Illinois GOP". Politico. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (January 12, 2026). "Bear down, reality roars back". Politico. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (February 9, 2026). "When campaign mail tries not to stink". Politico. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (December 2, 2025). "Dabrowski and the business crowd". Politico. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (January 6, 2026). "Giannoulias cash surge fuels City Hall buzz". Politico. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Margaret Croke Endorsements". Politico. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Cook County Endorsements for Margaret Croke for Illinois State Comptroller". Politico. November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Kapos, Shia (January 30, 2026). "Just a style showdown". Politico. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 7, 2025). "Judge slams feds' credibility". Politico. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 25, 2025). "What Underwood saw at Broadview". Politico. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "Cook County Democratic Party Slate – 2026 Primary". July 18, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (January 29, 2026). "Johnson on running Chicago under Trump". Politico. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Kapos, Shia (January 9, 2026). "'Undecided' dominates new poll". Politico. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (December 15, 2025). "'Middle of Everything'". Politico. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (February 17, 2026). "The Rev. Jesse Jackson has died". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Endorsing Margaret Croke for Comptroller". Politico. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (March 3, 2026). "Stratton knocked for Israel trip". Politico. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ "Editorial: Margaret Croke for Illinois Comptroller Democratic primary". Chicago Tribune. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Stephanie Kifowit Endorsements". Politico. November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (January 16, 2026). "Drawing a legal line on hate". Politico. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ^ a b c Kapos, Shia (January 15, 2026). "Mental health funding fumble". Politico. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ^ "Chicago FOP – John Dineen Lodge #7 2026 Primary Endorsements" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (January 23, 2026). "State creates a budget buffer". Politico. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Illinois FOP Endorsements for 2026 Primary". Politico. January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 4, 2025). "Chuy Garcia to exit, too". Politico. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 13, 2025). "Illinois Dems push back at DHS". Politico. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 13, 2025). "Freedom for detainees as activists face judge". Politico. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (March 11, 2026). "A PAC that promised support, delivered little". Politico. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Stephanie Kifowit". votevets.org. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ^ "Endorsement: Kifowit for Democrats as Illinois comptroller". Daily Herald. February 27, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 21, 2025). "Ballot brawls heat up". Politico. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (February 19, 2026). "Pritzker on love and budget limits". Politico. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 3, 2025). "The transit bill's bumpy ride". Politico. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Margaret Croke's endorsements from Will County". Politico. November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Mayors endorsing Holly Kim". Politico. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (December 19, 2025). "The Gift List!". Politico. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (February 10, 2026). "Another super PAC, now in IL-07". Politico. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (January 20, 2026). "Dem Senate primary turns fierce, fast". Politico. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (November 6, 2025). "ICE roils in courtroom — and classroom". Politico. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ Gorner, Jeremy (March 9, 2026). "Bernie Sanders endorses state Sen. Karina Villa for Illinois comptroller". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (March 16, 2026). "When endorsements raise questions". Politico. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Senate Endorsement List". Politico. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ "State Sen. Karina Villa launches campaign for Illinois comptroller". Fox 32 Chicago. August 25, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (February 27, 2026). "Politics pauses for Jackson". Politico. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "CTU Endorsements Quick Guide". Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ "Endorsements for the March 17, 2026 Primary Election". February 2, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "IFT-Endorsed Candidates" (PDF). Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ "NASW-IL Early 2026 State Election Endorsements: Karina Villa for State Comptroller". NASW-Illinois Chapter. September 25, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ "Illinois Primary Election Center / Información Electoral". Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "2026 State & Municipal Endorsements" (PDF). SEIU IL Council. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "NASW-IL Announces Endorsements for 2026 Illinois Primary Election". February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ "https://ourrevolution.com/karina-villa-for-illinois-comptroller/". Retrieved March 17, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "March 17, 2026 Primary Election Endorsed Candidates" (PDF). Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ "Illinois AFL-CIO 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". Politico. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ^ "IUOE Local 150 District 1 Endorsements" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Local 399 Illinois Primary Election Endorsements" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Poll Finds Wide Open Race for Illinois Comptroller, Clear Path to Nomination for Karina Villa". Politico. November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Holly Kim Leads by 10 Points After Voters Learn About Candidates". Politico. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ Wilcoxen, Paul (November 3, 2025). "Benton attorney Bryan Drew enters comptroller race". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites