Republican Rep. Darin LaHood announced Monday that he will not run for governor in Illinois, and will instead seek reelection to Congress.
LaHood, who had been weighing his options, made the announcement during a panel discussion at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which was moderated by NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern on Monday afternoon.
He also said he would not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by longtime Sen. Dick Durbin.
LaHood was first elected to Congress in 2015 during a special election to replace Aaron Schock in the 18th Congressional district. Redistricting led him to run for reelection to Congress in Illinois’ 16th district in 2022, a race he won by nearly 100,000 votes. He ran unopposed in the 2024 election cycle.
If LaHood had decided to run, he would have been the highest profile Republican to throw their hat in the ring during the current election cycle. DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick has announced a run for the office, along with suburban businessman Joseph Severino.
Any Republican candidate will in all likelihood be facing incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who announced he would seek a third term in office earlier this year. Pritzker named Christian Mitchell as his pick for the lieutenant governor’s spot on the ballot, as incumbent Juliana Stratton is running for U.S. Senate.
In addition to Stratton, Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi are also vying for the Democratic nomination in the race. A top Republican contender has not yet emerged for the job, though former RNC national committeeman Richard Porter has mulled a run, according to Axios.
Tuesday marks the first day for candidates in Illinois to begin circulating petitions for the 2026 primary election in the state. The last day to file those petitions will arrive on November 3, with the primary election set for March 17 of next year.