By Illinois Review
A surprising endorsement from one of Illinois’ most prominent pro-life leaders is raising serious questions inside the conservative movement – about money, credibility, and conviction.
David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, has endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski.
“Ted Dabrowski is exactly the kind of leader Illinois needs,” Smith said. “Illinois pro-family voters should unite behind his campaign. He has my enthusiastic endorsement.”
The endorsement comes at a time when Dabrowski continues to struggle with Republican voters and is currently trailing Darren Bailey by 26 points in the most recent WGN-TV poll, 34 percent to 8 percent.
Smith’s praise is notable. For decades, he has positioned himself – and IFI – as an uncompromising voice for the sanctity of life, parental rights, religious liberty, and moral clarity in public policy. IFI has repeatedly warned that Illinois Democrats have turned the state into one of the most extreme abortion jurisdictions in the nation under Gov. JB Pritzker.
That history is precisely why the endorsement has raised eyebrows.
Dabrowski’s campaign is heavily financed by donors who openly support Democratic politicians and pro-choice causes that directly conflict with IFI’s mission. Campaign finance records show that a significant portion of Dabrowski’s early funding – totaling $725,000 – comes from individuals who have voted in Democratic primaries or donated large sums to Chicago Democrats aligned with the progressive political machine.
Among them is James Perry, who contributed $250,000 to Dabrowski despite a history of backing allies of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot – both strong supporters of taxpayer-funded abortion and far-left social policies.
Other donors tied to Democratic primaries include Edgar Bachrach, John Canning, and Noel Moore.
To many conservative activists, the irony is glaring: a pro-life leader endorsing a candidate whose campaign is bankrolled by donors who oppose nearly every moral position IFI claims to champion.
Just as concerning is Dabrowski’s own record on life issues.
Despite a long career in public policy, think tanks, and political commentary, Dabrowski has never meaningfully articulated pro-life views until very recently. During his years leading Wirepoints and working in Illinois policy circles, abortion and the protection of unborn life were virtually absent from his public advocacy.
Only after launching his gubernatorial campaign did Dabrowski begin stating that life begins at conception and criticizing Illinois’ extreme abortion policies, including late-term procedures and taxpayer-funded abortions.
While those statements align with pro-life principles, they appear to be a late development – not a longstanding conviction.
The controversy also revives memories of a 2022 incident that deeply angered pro-life activists. Illinois Review publicly condemned the Illinois Republican Party after it sent a state party-funded campaign mailer widely viewed as accommodating pro-choice messaging.
At the time, Illinois Review warned that abandoning the unborn for political convenience would hollow out the party’s moral core. Notably, much of the organized pro-life leadership remained silent – fueling frustration among grassroots conservatives who saw the episode as a test of conviction that many leaders failed.
For grassroots conservatives, timing matters. Protecting innocent life is not a campaign talking point – it is a moral line that defines leadership.
As Republicans look for a path out of one-party Democratic control, the pressure to unite is real. But unity without consistency risks betraying the very principles that distinguish conservatives from the left.
With the primary approaching, voters must decide whether endorsements outweigh records – and whether newly adopted rhetoric is enough in a state where unborn children remain completely unprotected.
