Antioch mayor mulling GOP run for governor
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner announced Sunday he is considering running for Illinois governor as a Republican in 2026, adding that he expects a final decision by the end of the month.
“If I can gather 10,000 signatures and raise $500,000 by then, I’m all in,” Gartner wrote in a Facebook post addressed “To my Antioch family.”
“I'm not a millionaire or billionaire — but maybe that's exactly what we need: someone who understands the struggles of everyday people and isn’t beholden to special interests,” he added.
He would join a field of GOP hopefuls that includes conservative activist Ted Dabrowski of Wilmette, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, and former congressional hopeful Joe Severino of Lake Forest.
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking a third term.
“But here’s the truth: our Republican Party hasn’t put forward a credible, electable candidate to challenge Governor Pritzker this election cycle,” Gartner wrote. “And if we don’t offer something better, Illinois will continue to fall behind.”
Gartner, an attorney raised in Morton Grove, previously lived in Chicago and Bloomington, where he worked on the staff of former state Sen. John Maitland.
He accused Pritzker of living off inherited wealth, saying, “He’s never had to budget, never managed a payroll, never sacrificed the way working families do.”
He also argues Pritzker squandered billions in federal COVID relief funds and is using the governor’s office as a presidential steppingstone.
Gartner said his campaign would focus on pension reform, balanced budgets, lower property taxes, and public safety reforms, including changes to the SAFE-T Act.
“The SAFE-T Act, as written, has gone too far,” he wrote. “It’s weakened accountability and made it harder for law enforcement to do their job. As mayor, I work alongside officers who risk their lives daily, and I know we must push for reform so the law protects victims, supports our police, and keeps communities safe.”
He cited the case of Antioch resident Megan Bos, who was found dead in April in a container outside a Waukegan residence. A man accused of concealing her body was released because the SAFE-T Act makes the charge non-detainable, though he later was arrested by federal immigration authorities.