Illinois Governor’s Race on Track to Break U.S. Spending Record

The 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election in Illinois, which ended in victory for self-funded candidates Bruce Rauner (R) and JB Pritzker (D), was the most expensive Primary in Illinois history. Full candidate spending data will not be available until quarterly reports to the State Board of Elections on April 16th, but contribution disclosures have made it clear that Illinois candidates raised more this year than ever before.

The most expensive gubernatorial race on record in the United States was in California in 2010, when self-funding executive Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown spent a collective $280 million throughout the Primary and General Election. During the Primary Election alone in that California race, candidates raised $160 million. Candidates for Illinois governor have already exceeded that fundraising threshold by $1 million. This puts Illinois on track to break records as the most expensive gubernatorial election cycle by the end of 2018.