(The Center Square) – Illinois Democrats have a major financial advantage over Republicans going into statewide elections in 2026.
The latest Federal Election Commission numbers show the Democratic Party of Illinois with more than $1.8 million in receipts this year to just over $975,000 for the Illinois Republican Party.
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, told Lars Dalseide of the American Legislative Exchange Council that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on elections, allowing unions and other groups to spend down ballot.
“So that’s one of the reasons why we’re having a real hard time trying to pick up some seats. I’m hoping that we don’t lose any this time around, but we’re going to be outspent 20 to one,” Cabello said.
Democrats currently have a supermajority in the General Assembly in addition to holding the statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, secretary of state and comptroller.
State Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Pomona, said Republicans would be wise to stay out of primary battles.
“Sometimes Republicans get crazy ‘primary-ing’ and we spend more money doing that instead of going up to Chicago and helping flip Chicago red. You’ve got to remember, Cook County did 37% for Trump,” Jacobs told The Center Square.
Jacobs said the Illinois GOP has to flip seats in the northern part of the state and could have an opportunity next year.
“I think that my people down here, my constituents, would be very comfortable with us going and campaigning for seats that we could possibly flip,” Jacobs said.
Even with Democrats holding a supermajority in the state, both Cabello and Jacobs pointed to the defeat of the Homeschool Act as an example of GOP success in the spring legislative session.
“Thank God the homeschool community came, and actually we had the most people in history at the Statehouse and it finally got the bill to stop,” Cabello said.
House Bill 2827 would have punished homeschool families if they didn’t comply with new state government reporting mandates. Families would have been required to submit information to local public school administrators. The measure sponsored by state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, also provided new mandates for public and private schools.
“I had a number of the Democrats tell me right off the bat, ‘Listen, I can’t vote for this thing.’ I think that’s why we killed that thing. We did kill it for now. Hopefully, it doesn’t come back,” Jacobs said.
Candidates are currently gathering signatures for the March 17 primary elections in Illinois. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
