Governors of Illinois

History of Illinois Governors

Illinois is home to the Windy City, a nickname given to countless politicians' changing political sentiment and empty promises in the city and state. It makes sense, given this nickname, to see the constantly changing and evolving political arena in the state of Illinois. The first governor in Illinois was Shadrach Bond, who served from 1818 until 1822 as part of the Independent Party. Illinois has also elected governors representing the Whig Party, Adams-Clay Republican Party, and the National Republican Party, in addition to standard Democratic and Republican Party officials.

There is no consistency when it comes to a ruling party in this state, and the represented political party seems to flip every few years. Between 1838 and 2019, there have been 43 different governors. Of these 43 elected officials, 16 have been Democratic, 24 have been Republican, and the rest were older parties or Independents. This indicates a tilted but rather even split between the two current major parties.

Current Illinois Governor

The current governor of Illinois is J. B. Pritzker, who was elected in 2019. J. B. Pritzker is a representative of the Democratic Party. Although now a full-time politician, Pritzker is a member of the Pritzker family who owns the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. To take office, J. B. Pritzker defeated the Republican incumbent governor.