Bryan Drew, a Republican attorney from Benton, is running for Illinois comptroller in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Margaret Croke.
Drew, who has owned a law firm for more than two decades, said he is running to hold state government accountable for how it spends taxpayer money. He said he wants to be a voice for working families in Illinois.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Residence: Benton, Illinois
- Education: Associate's degree, Rend Lake College (1995); bachelor's degree in history, Saint Louis University (1997); juris doctor, Saint Louis University (1999)
- Endorsements: Madison County GOP, Lake County GOP
Experience and public service
Drew has owned Drew Law Group since 2000, according to his firm's website. He was named a Top 100 Attorney by The National Trial Lawyers, according to the same site.
He served as chairman of the Rend Lake College Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2013. He became an attorney for the college in 2015. He has also served as president of the Franklin County Bar Association.
Drew has been a restaurant owner, according to Ballotpedia. No additional details about that business were available.
On the issues
Government accountability and fiscal oversight
Drew said his background as a small business owner and attorney has prepared him for the comptroller's office. "As a small business owner, I've had to find efficiencies and stretch every dollar to make payroll," Drew said in a Ballotpedia questionnaire response.
He said his legal work has included representing local governments and helping identify fraud and waste. Drew also said he has handled divorce cases involving people hiding money, experience he said relates to the financial oversight role of comptroller. As a husband and father, Drew said, he has had to find ways to do more with less in his family's budget, just like other working families in the state.
Drew said he is prepared to fight on behalf of taxpayers to make Illinois a responsible steward of their money.
Taxes and budget
Drew said he would dig into where all the state's money goes and make that information visible to the public. He said residents should be able to see exactly where their tax dollars are spent, according to a candidate questionnaire response provided through BallotReady.
He said the only way to reduce the amount of money taken from working families is by forcing government to live within its means.
Candidate issue responses are drawn from questionnaire answers provided by Bryan Drew to Ballotpedia and BallotReady. Responses reflect the candidate's own statements and have been condensed for clarity.
