After spending millions on Bailey in 2022, GOP megadonor Uihlein backs Dabrowski for governor

After giving millions of dollars to Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign, megadonor Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest is backing a different candidate in the 2026 contest.

Late last month, Uihlein donated $250,000 to Wilmette Republican Ted Dabrowski’s campaign, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Uihlein hasn’t contributed to Bailey’s campaign or any other candidate in the race.

“We’re excited that our campaign is coalescing common-sense, conservative support with Dick Uihlein as a donor,” Dabrowski said in an email.

When asked about Uihlein’s shift in allegiance, Bailey campaign adviser Jose Durbin expressed gratitude for the billionaire’s past generosity.

“If he chooses to back Ted in the primary, that is his decision,” Durbin said. “Our focus is on building the strongest campaign possible, and we look forward to the opportunity to earn his support in the general election.”

Dabrowski’s backers

A first-time candidate, Dabrowski announced his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Sept. 12. Dabrowski resigned as president of the conservative Wirepoints research and media company to run for office.

Dabrowski initially indicated he planned to self-fund his campaign and lent the Ted for Illinois committee more than $250,000 in late-August to get it started, records show.

But Dabrowski’s getting quite a bit of financial help from others.

The Ted for Illinois committee received Uihlein’s $250,000 donation on Sept. 25 — the same day Bailey, a former state senator from downstate Xenia, declared his candidacy.

Additionally, Dabrowski reported receiving $250,000 from Chicagoan James Perry, $100,000 from former congressional candidate Vincent Kolber of Chicago, $100,000 from Chicagoan Megan O’Keefe and $100,000 from Inverness resident John Canning, among other six-figure donations, records show.

Ted for Illinois also reported a $50,000 donation from Orland Park resident Gerald Beeson. Beeson is the chief operating officer of Citadel, the hedge fund founded by Illinoisan-turned-Floridian and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin. Griffin backed Aurora’s Richard Irvin in the 2022 Republican primary for governor.

When asked about the prevalence of big donations to Dabrowski’s campaign, DuPage County Republican Party Chair Kevin Coyne said the candidate’s former employer, Wirepoints, is “very, very popular” among Republicans in the business world.

Dabrowski’s early receipts establish him as the fundraising leader among the Republican gubernatorial candidates. None of the others — Bailey, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick of Woodridge, two-time congressional candidate Joe Severino of Lake Forest — has reported any donation larger than $5,000, according to state records.

From Bailey to Dabrowski

Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, have supported Republican candidates up and down the ballot and across the U.S., as well as GOP groups and conservative political action committees. The couple ranked fourth among federal political donors for the 2024 election cycle with nearly $143.5 million given, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group that tracks campaign contributions.

Uihlein, a brewery fortune heir who founded the Uline shipping supply company with his wife, donated more than $12 million to Bailey’s first gubernatorial campaign. He also gave millions that cycle to a political action committee called People Who Play By the Rules that supported Bailey.

But in the end, Pritzker defeated Bailey by more than a half-million votes.

Now Uihlein is steering his money elsewhere.

Kent Redfield, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, believes Uihlein is more loyal to conservative ideology than to particular individuals — especially if a candidate “is not effective in advancing his policy goals.”

Additionally, Uihlein might want to prevent Bailey from winning the GOP nomination to keep Pritzker from casting the general election as a rerun of the 2022 contest, Redfield said.

Facing Pritzker

Pritzker, a billionaire, essentially self-funds his campaigns. Running against someone with Pritzker’s immense wealth poses a challenge that must be addressed, Coyne said.

“We really need candidates who have the ability to raise meaningful amounts of money,” he said. “Whoever can raise significant money should be considered very strongly by Republican voters.”

Dabrowski insisted the support he’s getting from Uihlein — who doesn’t respond to interview requests — and other donors from across Illinois indicates he’s the candidate “with the best chance to unseat Pritzker.”

“Bailey's failure in Cook County and the suburbs in 2022 proved he can’t win,” Dabrowski said.

Former Cook County Republican Chair Sean Morrison isn’t so sure. He believes Bailey and running mate Aaron Del Mar — a Palatine resident and the current Cook County GOP chair — have momentum and are building grass-roots support, even without access to Uihlein’s bankroll.

“That’s the kind of support that carries through primaries and wins elections,” Morrison said in an email.