Dabrowski Announces Run for Illinois Governor

Ted Dabrowski, president of the conservative public policy research organization Wirepoints, has announced his candidacy for governor of Illinois in the 2026 election. Dabrowski made the announcement near the Illinois State Fairgrounds as the official petition-gathering period began.

Reflecting on more than 15 years spent analyzing and offering solutions to Illinois’ challenges, Dabrowski expressed frustration with what he sees as the state’s continuing decline. “For 15 years I’ve been working on reporting on Illinois, on these problems, suggesting a lot of solutions, and what I’ve seen is the state continue to go downhill,” he said.

Under Dabrowski’s leadership, Wirepoints has become a prominent platform for conservative research and commentary on policy issues ranging from pensions and taxes to governance reforms. Before assuming his current role in 2017, he spent nearly two decades in banking and served as vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute.

Dabrowski criticized the current administration under Governor J.B. Pritzker, noting that the state’s business climate, tax burden, and population trends have all worsened. He outlined three central priorities for his campaign: improving reading proficiency in schools, making life more affordable, and spurring job creation.

When asked about his alignment with former President Donald Trump, Dabrowski declined to engage, stating, “Illinois’ problems have nothing to do with Donald Trump. He can’t fix the property taxes. He can’t fix the gas taxes. He can’t fix our outmigration. We have to fix it.”

Dabrowski joins DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick among the first Republicans to enter the race for governor, as Illinois Republicans begin to gather signatures ahead of the October deadline for ballot access.