Dabrowski the top fundraiser among GOP gubernatorial candidates

Thanks to some deep-pocketed supporters, Wilmette’s Ted Dabrowski has a significant fundraising lead over three other Republicans running for governor in 2026, records released this week show.

Dabrowski reported collecting about $1.5 million in political donations since announcing his candidacy in mid-September, the final month of the year’s third quarter.

Woodridge’s James Mendrick — now DuPage County’s sheriff — finished September a distant second with $35,237 raised during the entire quarter. He was followed by 2022 GOP nominee Darren Bailey and Lake Forest’s Joe Severino.

Candidates for local, county and state offices in Illinois must report campaign contributions and expenses to the Illinois State Board of Elections every quarter. Additionally, contributions of $1,000 or more must be reported within five business days.

The most recent quarterly reports, covering transactions made between July 1 and Sept. 30, were due Wednesday. They can be found at elections.il.gov.

These latest finance reports are particularly important because the primary is in just five months and the general election is about a year away, said Kent Redfield, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield. At the very least, Redfield said, they show if a candidate has the money to build a campaign team and circulate nominating petitions, which are due in a little more than a week.

“Money is critical to political success in 2025 American politics,” Redfield said. “A potentially great candidate with strong policy proposals is not going to win an election if no one knows they are running.”

Dabrowski, the former president of the Wirepoints research and media company, resigned from that job to take his first stab at elected office. In addition to receiving $1.3 million from supporters — including $250,000 each from Lake Forest billionaire Richard Uihlein and Chicagoan James Perry and $100,000 donations from five other people — the Dabrowski campaign got a $250,100 loan from the candidate, records show.

After spending $12,379, Team Dabrowski ended the quarter with nearly $1.5 million in the bank. It subsequently reported a $1,562 donation from a Florida resident that came in Oct. 7.

Mendrick, who in February became the first Republican to announce a gubernatorial bid, started July with $100,589 in his political war chest. His campaign collected $35,237 and spent $74,987 over the next three months, ending September with $60,839 and $800 in debt to the candidate’s wife, Cynthia.

It also reported a $1,000 donation from a Lisle resident that came in Oct. 3.

Bailey, a former state legislator from downstate Xenia, launched his campaign late last month with $2,805 in his campaign coffers, and he raised $20,392 before the quarter ended less than a week later. Team Bailey spent about $98 during the quarter and finished September with $23,099 in the bank and $316,885 in debts to the candidate and his wife, Cindy, that date back to 2017.

Additionally, the Bailey campaign has reported receiving $38,000 in donations — including $30,000 from 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine, now of Florida — since Sept. 30, as well as thousands of dollars in material donations from the Barrington-based Save Illinois PAC, which represents a group opposed to Chicago’s stand against cooperating with immigration authorities.

Severino, a business owner, hasn’t filed any financial reports since announcing his candidacy in April. Reached electronically, Severino — who ran for Congress as a Republican in 2022 and as an independent in 2024 — said he wasn’t obligated to turn in reports because he didn’t start fundraising until Thursday.

But Severino was soliciting campaign donations on social media at least as early as Aug. 8.

Across the political aisle, incumbent JB Pritzker is the lone Democratic candidate for the post he’s held since 2018.

A Chicago billionaire who has largely self-funded his campaigns, Pritzker started July with $2.4 million saved for the race. The JB for Governor campaign reported $1,166 in donations among $1,593 in receipts last quarter, and it spent nearly $1.8 million through September.

Pritzker’s campaign finished the quarter with $661,383 in the bank.