Del Mar Inches Toward Governor Run, Dabrowski "Moving in a Good Direction"
Then-Lt. Governor candidate Aaron Del Mar speaks with reporters at a campaign event in 2022. Del Mar is considering a run for governor in 2026. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
NOTE: This story was originally posted for subscribers only. To receive subscriber-only newsletters and content, click here.
As Republicans are still searching for a top tier candidate to win the party’s nomination next March and take on Governor JB Pritzker next November, two potential GOP candidates are moving closer toward entering the race.
Illinois GOP Central Committee member and Cook County GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar told The Illinoize Tuesday he’s nearing a final decision on entering the race. He ran for Lt. Governor alongside Gary Rabine in 2022, finishing fourth in a field of six candidates.
Del Mar wouldn’t say exactly what he was continuing to weigh before making a final decision or when he would make a final call.
But, he said the GOP needs a candidate ready to take on Pritzker.
Ted Dabrowski
“JB Pritzker is wrecking Illinois. Kids are dying in DCFS care, violent crime is out of control, our schools our failing, and working families are packing up and leaving,” Del Mar said in a statement. “Not one of these Republicans announced or interested has the guts, the message, or the fire power to take him on. He’s coasted through six years of failure with no real opposition and unless we nominate someone who shoves back, we can count on four more years of the same.”
Meanwhile, Ted Dabrowski, a former Illinois Policy Institute official and President of the conservative website Wirepoints said Tuesday night he’s still trying to put together a campaign infrastructure.
“I’m still working with donors and moving in a good direction,” Dabrowski said via text message.
Asked if he intended to make an announcement before Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair next week, Dabrowski responded “That’s the goal.”
Sources say Dabrowski has been attempting to woo billionaire GOP donor Richard Uihlein to financially back his effort, but it’s unclear where the effort stands.
