Gov. J.B. Pritzker won a third term Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Darren Bailey in a rematch of their 2022 contest.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m., first reported by an AP report carried by KWQC. The Chicago Tribune reported the AP declared Pritzker the winner at 7:01 p.m. Central time.

The win makes Pritzker the first Democrat elected to three terms as Illinois governor, according to WAND-TV. The last three-term governor was Republican James R. Thompson, who served four terms from 1977 to 1991.

The race had a North Shore thread. Wilmette resident Ted Dabrowski, a founder of the conservative media outlet Wirepoints and a local activist with groups including Open New Trier, challenged Bailey in the March Republican primary. Bailey won that contest with about 53% of the vote, according to The Record North Shore.

Property taxes and affordability

For homeowners in Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth and Northfield, property taxes were a central campaign issue. Bailey campaigned on lowering the cost of living and reducing property taxes, according to WGN-TV's voter guide. He also called for repealing the SAFE-T Act, the 2021 law that eliminated cash bail in Illinois.

Pritzker cited raising the state minimum wage from $8.25 to $15 an hour and ending the state grocery tax as affordability measures, ABC 7 reported.

The two clashed over those issues in their only debate Oct. 13 on WTTW, Capitol News Illinois reported. Other debate topics included state spending, a new Bears stadium and data centers. Independent candidate Collin Corbett, a Palatine political consultant and former Republican strategist, was not included in the debate.

Turnout and money

Cook County suburban early voting surged ahead of Election Day. As of midday Nov. 2, more than 250,000 early votes had been cast in Cook County suburbs, a 31% increase over 2022, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Pritzker held a massive fundraising advantage. He spent nearly $23.8 million from July through September, compared with about $941,000 by Bailey's committee, according to MultiState. Pritzker entered October with about $44.4 million on hand to Bailey's $482,000.

Bailey's 2022 campaign was backed by more than $50 million from Lake Forest billionaire Richard Uihlein. This time, the Chicago Tribune reported, Uihlein gave Bailey only $6,900.

What comes next

Christian Mitchell, a former state representative who has served as a deputy governor since 2019, will become lieutenant governor, according to CBS News Chicago. Mitchell replaced Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on the ticket after Stratton entered the U.S. Senate race.

Pritzker defeated Bailey in 2022 by nearly 13 percentage points. He won about 55% of the vote in both 2018 and 2022, according to WAND-TV. Several outlets have noted Pritzker is considered a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, though he has given no indication he plans to seek it.