Gov. JB Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey on Tuesday, Nov. 3, winning a third term and becoming the first Democrat elected to three consecutive terms as Illinois governor.

The Associated Press called the race at 7 p.m. Central time, minutes after polls closed, KWQC reported. The call is a projection, not a certified result. Vote tallies will not become official until county clerks certify them, a process that takes about two weeks after the election, according to Shaw Local.

No final statewide vote totals were available at the time of the AP call. Pritzker won 55% of the vote in both 2018 and 2022, according to WAND.

Suburban turnout surged

Cook County suburban voters turned out in force. Early voting totals in the Cook County suburbs exceeded those from four years ago by 31%, with more than a quarter-million early votes cast as of Nov. 2, Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon's office said, according to the Chicago Tribune. Statewide, voters had already cast more than 1.1 million early in-person ballots and nearly 711,000 mail-in ballots before polls opened, the Tribune reported.

Oak Park native on the statewide ballot

Oak Park had its own connection to the statewide ticket. Margaret Croke, a Democratic state representative from Chicago who grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 2010, ran for Illinois Comptroller against Republican Bryan Drew, the Lake Forest Journal reported. Results in that race were not yet available.

The governor's race

Bailey, a farmer from southern Illinois and former state legislator, lost to Pritzker by nearly 13 percentage points in 2022, WBEZ reported. Pritzker's campaign spent nearly $24 million from July through September, compared with less than $1 million spent by Bailey, according to CBS News Chicago.

Pritzker, 61, is the first three-term Illinois governor since Republican Jim Thompson won the third of his four terms in 1982, according to WBEZ. Illinois has no term limits on the governor's office.

Christian Mitchell, a former state representative who served as Pritzker's deputy governor, will become lieutenant governor. He replaces Juliana Stratton, who left the ticket to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Dick Durbin, according to Fox 32 Chicago.

What Pritzker's third term means locally

The state eliminated its 1% sales tax on groceries effective Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue. Municipalities could opt to impose their own 1% local grocery tax in its place.

Democrats entered the election holding a 78-40 advantage in the Illinois House and a 40-19 edge in the Senate, Capitol News Illinois reported. The outlet reported that Democrats targeted several suburban legislative seats held by Republicans.

Multiple outlets noted Pritzker is considered a potential 2028 presidential contender. He has deflected questions about his political future, WBEZ reported.