Seeking GOP nomination, gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski wants to reform Illinois, bring back ‘midwestern values’

Besides the U.S. Senate race, the other big race in Illinois is for the governor's office. On the Democratic side, incumbent JB Pritzker is unopposed as he seeks a third term. 

Four people are running in the Republican primary to challenge him: former State Senator Darren Bailey, who won the party’s nomination four years ago but then lost to Pritzker by 13 points, DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, Rick Heidner, a real estate developer and operator of video gambling terminals and Ted Dabrowski.

Dabrowski was born to parents who immigrated to Chicago from Poland and Ecuador. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA in international finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Later in life, he went back to school, earning another master’s degree, this time in Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Dabrowski has been best known for his roles in two conservative organizations in Illinois. He was vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute and then became president of Wirepoints, a website that focuses on the state’s economy and government largely from a conservative perspective.

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Ted Dabrowski
Candidate for Governor, Republican Primary 2026