Dabrowski joins race with more than $1 million raised so far
By BEN SZALINSKI – Capitol News Illinois
Article Summary
- Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski officially announced he will run for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.
- The head of the conservative research publication said he will be an attractive candidate because he takes a data-driven approach to finding policy solutions.
- Darren Bailey will likely be the early front-runner in the race as candidates like Dabrowski work to build up their name recognition.
- Dabrowski enters the race as the fundraising leader with more than $1 million already raised in the last month.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
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.”
Read more: New Republican to run for Illinois governor as election season begins
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.
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.
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