By Illinois Review
Wirepoints, the tax-exempt policy nonprofit once run by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski, on Wednesday promoted former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady’s praise of Gov. JB Pritzker and his criticism of GOP nominee Darren Bailey.
The post came less than 24 hours after the two candidates’ only televised debate and three weeks before Election Day.
Wirepoints shared a CBS Chicago report in which Brady said Pritzker won the exchange. “The governor came across as a governor. It was fact versus fiction,” Brady said.
Brady also credited Pritzker for agreeing to debate. He said Republicans have spent too much time attacking the governor and not enough explaining their own plans.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Wirepoints is barred by federal law from directly or indirectly supporting or opposing candidates for public office. The IRS judges whether a publication crosses that line based on its content and circumstances, including timing. Sharing news coverage is not by itself prohibited. The IRS has made no public finding against Wirepoints.
The post is not the first time Wirepoints’ coverage of Bailey has drawn scrutiny.
Dabrowski led Wirepoints until September 2025, when he resigned to run for governor. During the primary, the organization published an article by founder Mark Glennon that described Bailey as a weak candidate Pritzker preferred to face and questioned the judgment of Republicans backing him. I
Illinois Review reported in January that the article raised questions about campaign intervention by a nonprofit.
Bailey won the March primary with more than 53 percent of the vote – defeating Dabrowski by 25 points.
Brady chaired the Illinois Republican Party and has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. In December 2025, he publicly said Trump’s politics were not working for Illinois Republicans.
He is a longtime political associate of former House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. On Oct. 5, Durkin endorsed Pritzker for re-election in a video released by the governor’s campaign. Durkin now works with a Springfield lobbying firm led by Lisa Duarte, a former Pritzker deputy governor.
State lobbying disclosures previously reviewed by Illinois Review show the firm represents 37 clients.
The general election is Nov. 3.
