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CHICAGO - Gov. JB Pritzker’s $25 million donation to his own re-election campaign late last year put him well ahead of any of his potential Republican rivals in terms of cash in the bank, as of the end of 2025.
By the numbers:
Pritzker, the Hyatt hotel heir whose personal wealth Forbes pegged at $3.9 billion, donated $25.5 million to his own campaign in November, according to the latest state financial disclosures covering the last three months of the year.
The governor is running for a third term in office in this November’s general election.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 12: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks on stage during Vox Media's Pivot Tour at The Chicago Theatre on November 12, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Vox Media)
Pritzker spent a little over $2.8 million and had about $23.3 million left in his campaign war chest by the end of December. That spending included contributions to fellow Democratic candidates and groups like Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias ($72,800) and the Democratic Party of Illinois ($500,000).
That ability to self-finance his campaigns has given him a stark money advantage over any of the GOP hopefuls looking to challenge the two-term governor.
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In terms of cash, the top two Republican gubernatorial candidates were Ted Dabrowski, a conservative researcher, and Rick Heidner, a real estate developer. They both ended the quarter with more than $1 million in the bank.
Dabrowski raised around $100,000 in the quarter and spent nearly $350,000.
Heidner gave $1 million to his own campaign back in October. He also spent nearly $280,000 during the quarter.
Darren Bailey, the farmer, former state lawmaker and 2022 GOP nominee for governor, took in around $151,000 in the quarter, but spent nearly $139,000. He ended the year with just over $35,000 left in the bank.
Still, Bailey has so far been leading the field in the polls by a wide margin, including garnering 34% in an early January survey with no other candidate earning more than 8%.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendick raised a little over $34,000 last quarter, spent about $58,000, but still had about $36,000 left at the end of December.
The Illinois primary election is March 17 with early voting beginning on Feb. 5.