Illinois County Office Primary Election Results 2026
CHICAGO - Voters in Cook County will be casting their ballots for several offices, including two countywide officials facing primary challenges.
Polls close across Illinois at 7 p.m. CT, with results expected shortly after.
2026 Illinois County Race Primary Results
County Board
Assessor
Clerk
Sheriff
Treasurer
Water Reclaim Commissioner
Illinois Primary Election Results 2026
For full statewide coverage, view our Illinois primary election results 2026.
About Illinois' county primary races
The backstory:
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who was first elected in 2010, is squaring off against Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly in the Democratic primary race.
County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is facing a challenge from Lyons Township Assessor Pat Hynes for the Democratic nomination.
Other incumbent countywide officials are running unopposed in their respective primaries, including Clerk Monica Gordon, Sheriff Tom Dart, and Treasurer Maria Pappas. All incumbents are Democrats and no Republican candidates have filed to run for those offices.
Here is a rundown of each countywide position, what they’re responsible for and who is running.
County Board of Commissioners President is the CEO of the county and, along with the board members, oversee and approve the county’s budget each year. Preckwinkle is running for a fifth term at the helm. She’s previously served as a Chicago City Council member and lost her bid for mayor in 2019. Reilly has served on the City Council, representing parts of Chicago’s downtown, since 2007. Michael Murphy is running for the seat as a Libertarian.
County Assessor is in charge of determining the assessments of real properties in Cook County, a key step in the process of determining property tax bills. Property tax revenues go toward funding local governments. Kaegi has served as the Cook County assessor since 2018. Hynes has served as the Lyons Township assessor since 2021 and previously worked in the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
County Clerk Monica Gordon is the chief election authority in suburban Cook County, meaning she oversees elections. The clerk also maintains birth, marriage, and death records, along with property, business, and other kinds of records. Gordon won a special election as clerk in 2024 after the death of Karen Yarbrough that year.
County Sheriff Tom Dart has served in office since 2006 and oversees a department with more than 6,700 officers, deputies, and civilians. County deputies typically work in unincorporated parts of the county, provide security at county facilities like courthouses, and manage the Cook County Jail.
County Treasurer Maria Pappas has been in office since 1998 and oversees the distribution of property tax bills to the owners of more than 1.8 million parcels of property in Cook County. Those property tax funds go to benefit around 2,200 local government agencies.
What's next:
The general election is slated for Nov. 3.