By Illinois Review
For much of the 2026 gubernatorial campaign, Ted Dabrowski has been clear and consistent about what he believes is Illinois’ most pressing issue.
Property taxes, Dabrowski has said repeatedly, are the number one issue facing Illinois residents.
While campaigning across the state, Dabrowski described property taxes as voters’ “number-one concern” and made affordability the foundation of his platform. His campaign materials emphasized reducing the tax burden on homeowners, seniors, and working families, arguing that high property taxes are a primary driver of population loss and economic stagnation.
The message aligned closely with his background as a financial policy analyst and longtime critic of government spending.
That focus defined the early phase of his campaign.
However, recent polling suggests the message has not translated into voter support. A WGN-TV poll released recently shows Dabrowski trailing significantly in the Republican primary.
Former state Sen. Darren Bailey, the current frontrunner, leads Dabrowski by a wide margin – 34 percent to 8 percent – a 26-point gap that has raised questions about Dabrowski’s campaign strategy and momentum.
As those numbers became public, the campaign’s messaging began to shift.
Over the weekend, Dabrowski aired a new television advertisement during Saturday night’s Chicago Bears playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers – one of the most watched and emotionally charged rivalries in professional football. Political strategists estimate the prime-time placement likely cost the campaign approximately $170,000, underscoring both the high stakes of the moment and the urgency behind the messaging change.
The commercial made no mention of property taxes or fiscal reform. Instead, it focused on violent crime and sharply criticized Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker over Illinois’ sanctuary state policies.
The ad featured Joe Abraham, the father of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk-driving crash involving an illegal immigrant, Julio Cucul-Bol. The message argued that sanctuary policies, along with decisions by judges and prosecutors, have increased risks for Illinois families.
After the ad aired, Dabrowski reinforced the new focus in a post on X, writing:
“The difference between @GovPritzker and Ted Dabrowski: Dabrowski will fight to get rid of the SAFE-T Act and Illinois’ sanctuary policies.”
The campaign followed up with a mass text message sent late Sunday that implied it was from Joe Abraham and encouraged recipients to watch the advertisement if they had missed it.
The shift did not go unnoticed among Republican consultants. Dan Proft, who has been involved in advising the Dabrowski campaign from his home in Naples, Florida, publicly praised the ad on social media, comparing the campaign’s hoped-for turnaround to the Chicago Bears’ late-season improvement.
Proft’s role has drawn renewed attention to his broader political operation. During the 2022 Illinois governor’s race, Proft’s political action committee paid his consulting firm, Starfish Consulting, approximately $535,000 for general election consulting services between July and December of that year.
Financial disclosures show that during the April 2023 school board elections, Proft’s PAC spent roughly $142,000 on political consultants, while allocating just $3,700 in direct support to school board candidates. During that same period, the PAC paid $75,000 to Proft’s own consulting firm.
At the same time, the Dabrowski campaign has sought to highlight internal party wins as signs of momentum. This week, the campaign celebrated receiving 97 percent of the vote from Wheeling Township Republicans, posting online, “Thank you for the overwhelming support.”
While township-level contests involve relatively small and controlled party gatherings, the margin itself drew attention. Vote shares approaching 97 percent are uncommon in competitive democratic elections and are more frequently seen in political systems without meaningful opposition.
In 1995, Saddam Hussein claimed to have won 99 percent of the vote in Iraq. Kim Jong-un routinely reports election results above 99 percent in North Korea, and in 1997 Bashar al-Assad claimed victory with 97.62 percent of the vote in Syria.
Crime and public safety have emerged as dominant issues in the Republican primary, particularly in the Chicago suburbs, where concerns over repeat offenders, prosecutorial discretion, and sanctuary laws continue to grow.
Other GOP candidates – especially DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick – an opponent in the governor’s race – have leaned heavily into those issues for months.
Dabrowski has not retracted his earlier statements about property taxes, and his campaign platform still lists tax relief and affordability as top priorities. But with polling showing him far behind the frontrunner, his recent advertising and messaging reflect a clear recalibration as the race enters a more competitive phase.
With months remaining before the primary, whether that shift resonates with voters – or reinforces questions about the campaign’s direction – remains to be seen.
