Gov. JB Pritzker holds a 20-point lead over Republican challenger Darren Bailey, while Democratic candidates are ahead in four other statewide races surveyed in the first statewide election poll commissioned by Chicago News Weekly.
The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1, included 569 Illinois voters. Pritzker received 54% support in the governor’s race, compared with 34% for Bailey. Independent candidate Collin Corbett received 6%, while another 6% of respondents were undecided.
Democratic candidates also led each of the other four statewide contests included in the poll. In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Juliana Stratton received 49% support to Republican Don Tracy’s 36%, with 15% of respondents undecided.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul received 52% support, compared with 38% for Republican Bob Fioretti, while 11% were undecided. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias led Republican Diane Harris 55% to 37%, with 8% undecided. In the comptroller race, Democrat Margaret Croke received 48% support to Republican Bryan Drew’s 37%, while 15% had not selected a candidate.
The size of the undecided vote varied across the five contests. Just 6% of respondents remained undecided in the governor’s race, compared with 15% in both the Senate and comptroller races. The attorney general contest had an undecided share of 11%, while 8% remained undecided in the secretary of state race.
The poll also measured how enthusiastic Illinois voters are about participating in this fall’s election. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they were very excited to vote, while 23% said they were somewhat excited, and 23% said they were not too excited. Among voters who described themselves as very excited, Pritzker received 59% support to Bailey’s 35%, giving the governor a 24-point advantage within that group. Among somewhat excited voters, Pritzker received 56% to Bailey’s 33%. Among voters who said they were not too excited, Pritzker received 40%, while Bailey received 33%.
The enthusiasm differences were also visible in the U.S. Senate race. Stratton received 56% support among very excited voters, compared with 37% for Tracy. Among somewhat excited voters, Stratton received 48% to Tracy’s 32%. Among voters who were not too excited, Tracy received 39% to Stratton’s 33%, with 28% undecided. Raoul led Fioretti 56% to 38% among very excited voters, while Giannoulias led Harris 58% to 38%. Croke received 54% support among very excited voters, compared with 38% for Drew. The undecided share among those voters was 6% in the attorney general race, 5% in the secretary of state race, and 8% in the comptroller contest. Those findings show differences in candidate preference based on respondents’ stated level of enthusiasm at the time of the survey. They do not establish who ultimately will vote or predict the final outcome of the election.
The CNW poll also asked voters about President Donald Trump’s job performance, 33% approved of the job Trump is doing as president, while 61% disapproved, and 6% were unsure. The survey included voters from across Illinois. Eighteen percent of respondents were from Chicago, 19% were from the remainder of Cook County, 26% were from the collar counties, and 37% were from the rest of the state. IllinoisResults Respondents identified as 42% Democratic, 27% Republican, and 30% independent. The sample was 52% women, 46% men, and 2% gender non-binary. By race and ethnicity, 70% of respondents identified as white, 13% as Black, 13% as Hispanic or Latino, and 4% as another race or ethnicity.
The poll also included voters across age and education groups. Thirty-one percent of respondents were between ages 18 and 45, 36% were between 46 and 65, and 33% were older than 65. Twenty-eight percent reported a high school education or less, 26% had some college but had not completed a degree, 7% held a two-year degree, 22% held a four-year degree, and 17% had a postgraduate degree.
Poll methodology: The Chicago News Weekly poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1, 2026, among 569 Illinois voters statewide. Seventy-two percent of respondents participated by text, and 28% participated by landline. IllinoisResults IllinoisResults