Rockford, Illinois sample ballot 2026

Gary Caruana has served as Winnebago County Sheriff since 2014 (12 years) after 8 years as a sheriff's deputy, and previously spent 26 years at United Parcel Service in security and operations leadership, per Gary Caruana campaign site.

Dominick Barcellona spent nearly 30 years with the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, working in corrections, patrol and SWAT before retiring in 2023 at the rank of deputy chief, per Dominick Barcellona campaign site.

Lori Gummow is the sitting Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder, elected in November 2018, per the campaign site. Gummow founded and served as executive director of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful, an environmental nonprofit, and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master's degree from Judson University, per the campaign site.

Jeff Tilly is the sitting Forest Preserve Commissioner and the longest-serving President of the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County Board of Commissioners, with twelve years on the board, per the district's governance page and his campaign site. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who earned degrees from Rock Valley College and Northern Illinois University and works as Facilities Director at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, per his campaign site.

Robinson was appointed to the 17th Judicial Circuit by the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2024, per the campaign site. He graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University and earned his law degree with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law, then worked at small law firms and served as an assistant state's attorney in Ogle County and later Winnebago County, per the campaign site. He also taught at Hononegah High School in Rockton for nine years before returning to the law, per the campaign site.

Juliana Stratton is Illinois's lieutenant governor, serving alongside Gov. JB Pritzker, per the campaign site. She was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago as the daughter of a Navy veteran and a Chicago public school teacher, per the campaign site. The campaign site says she was first elected to the Illinois House after defeating a 13-year incumbent.

Don Tracy is an attorney of several decades and Senior Counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he previously owned and operated a law firm in Springfield with a satellite office in his hometown of Mt. Sterling, and that he is a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party and of the Illinois Gaming Board.

Whitfield Harrington Jr of Schaumburg is on the State Board of Elections' certified candidate list for U.S. Senate on the American Center Party line. He describes himself as an independent candidate building the American Center Party, per the campaign site. He earned a political science degree from Delta State University, worked in the financial industry inside banks and insurance companies, ran his own insurance practice, and has served as a pastor in Chicago since 2013, per the campaign site.

Pritzker is Illinois's governor and was previously an entrepreneur and business leader who oversaw operations with 10,000 employees and helped launch a non-profit business incubator that supported the creation of more than 14,500 jobs, per the campaign site. He lost both parents at a young age, an experience he says motivated him toward public service, per the campaign site. He is running with Christian Mitchell as his candidate for lieutenant governor, per the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list.

Darren Bailey is the Republican nominee for Illinois governor, a former state senator, farmer, and the GOP's 2022 nominee for governor. His campaign emphasizes lower taxes, public safety, parental rights, agriculture, and a rematch against JB Pritzker. He is running with Aaron B. Del Mar as his candidate for lieutenant governor, per the Illinois State Board of Elections' certified 2026 general election candidate list.

Corbett is an independent candidate for governor, a political strategist and small business owner who founded Cor Strategies, EmpowerPolitics and Long9 Studio, per the campaign site. Corbett says he has recruited and trained more than 3,500 people to take part in the political process over two decades and has helped Illinois communities set local service and tax priorities, per the campaign site.

Kwame Raoul is Illinois's incumbent attorney general and the Democratic nominee for re-election. His office has emphasized consumer protection, civil rights, gun safety litigation, reproductive rights, workers' rights, and multistate legal actions.

Bob Fioretti is the Republican nominee for Illinois attorney general and a former Chicago alderman. His campaign emphasizes public safety, government accountability, litigation priorities, and a Republican alternative to Democratic control of statewide legal offices.

Alexi Giannoulias is Illinois's incumbent secretary of state and the Democratic nominee for re-election. His office manages driver services, libraries, business filings, state records, organ-donor registration, and technology modernization.

Diane Harris is the Republican nominee for Illinois secretary of state and a Joliet Junior College trustee. Her campaign emphasizes customer service, election-adjacent administrative services, business filings, and a Republican alternative for a large statewide office.

Frerichs is the incumbent Illinois State Treasurer, first sworn in in 2015, and previously served as an Illinois state senator, Champaign County Auditor and Champaign County Board member, per the campaign site. A Yale University graduate, he grew up in Gifford, Illinois, the son of a truck driver and a university secretary, per the campaign site.

Max Solomon is the Republican nominee listed for Illinois state treasurer. His candidacy gives Republican voters a statewide alternative in the office responsible for state investments, public cash management, and treasury services.

Margaret Croke is running for Illinois Comptroller. She has served five years in the Illinois House of Representatives, where she chairs the Financial Institutions committee, per her campaign site.

Bryan Drew is the Republican nominee for Illinois comptroller and an attorney. His candidacy offers a Republican alternative for the office that manages state payments, fiscal reporting, and public financial transparency.