New Chicago News Weekly Poll Finds Pritzker Up 20 Points, Democratic Candidates Leading Statewide Races

Survey conducted by Public Policy Polling also finds wider Democratic margins among voters most excited to cast ballots this fall

New Chicago News Weekly Poll Finds Pritzker Up 20 Points, Democratic Candidates Leading Statewide Races

CHICAGO, Oct. 5, 2026 — Chicago News Weekly released the results of a new statewide election poll conducted by Public Policy Polling showing Gov. JB Pritzker with a 20-point advantage over Republican Darren Bailey and Democratic candidates leading each of the five statewide contests surveyed. The poll surveyed 569 Illinois voters from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1.

In the race for governor, Pritzker received 54%, Bailey received 34%, independent candidate Collin Corbett received 6% and 6% of respondents were undecided. In the U.S. Senate race, Juliana Stratton received 49% to Don Tracy’s 36%, with 15% undecided. Attorney General Kwame Raoul led Bob Fioretti 52% to 38%, with 11% undecided, while Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias led Diane Harris 55% to 37%, with 8% undecided. In the comptroller race, Margaret Croke received 48% to Bryan Drew’s 37%, with 15% undecided.

The results show substantially larger undecided blocs in the Senate and comptroller contests than in the governor’s race, making the preferences of those voters an important component of the statewide picture. A supplemental analysis provided to Chicago News Weekly examined how undecided voters in those races currently divide in their choice for governor. If they ultimately vote for the same party down ballot that they currently support for governor, the estimated two-party results would be 59% to 41% for Stratton, 59% to 41% for Raoul, 60% to 40% for Giannoulias and 58% to 42% for Croke. The allocation is an analytical scenario rather than a separate polling result or prediction of the election outcome.

The survey also points to a significant relationship between voter enthusiasm and the size of the candidates’ margins. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they were very excited to vote this fall. Among that group, Pritzker led Bailey by 24 points, 59% to 35%, while Stratton led by 19 points, Raoul by 18, Giannoulias by 20 and Croke by 16.

The margins were narrower among voters who described themselves as somewhat or not too excited. Supplemental analysis of those two groups combined put the respective Democratic advantages at approximately 15 points for Pritzker, 5 for Stratton, 9 for Raoul, 15 for Giannoulias and 5 for Croke. Those results underscore turnout as one variable that could affect the size of the margins, rather than establishing how the electorate ultimately will vote.

The poll additionally found President Donald Trump with a 33% job approval rating among Illinois voters, while 61% disapproved and 6% were unsure. The survey sample was 42% Democratic, 27% Republican and 30% independent, with respondents distributed geographically across Chicago, the remainder of Cook County, the collar counties and the rest of the state.

Public Policy Polling says its political polling generally draws samples from voter-registration databases and screens respondents for voter eligibility.


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focused on Chicago, Illinois and issues affecting Black communities.

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