Margaret Croke
State representative for the 12th District since 2021; previously deputy chief of staff at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Illinois 2026 › Comptroller
Illinois Comptroller race: who’s running on Nov. 3, 2026
2 candidates · Every summary links to its public source · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Summaries were compiled with AI assistance from public sources and are not independently verified. They may contain errors. Check the linked source.
Which candidate matches your views?
Compare on my issues →Answer two quick questions about this office and see a match score in about a minute.
What the office does
The Comptroller is the state's chief fiscal officer, paying state bills, tracking and reporting on state funds, and regulating cemeteries and crematories.
The candidates
Bryan Drew
Benton attorney who has run his own law firm for over 25 years, co-owns a cafe, and formerly chaired the Rend Lake College board.
Where they stand on this office’s decisions
Extra state money
1 = Rebuild reserves and pay pensions5 = Return it as lower taxes and fees
Croke1/5
Croke lists investing in the Rainy Day Fund and addressing the pension backlog as priorities, saying reserves and full pension payments can bring credit upgrades and lower interest costs.
Sources: news.wttw.com · capitolnewsillinois.com
Drewnot placed on the scale
His 2026 campaign site says he aims to "reduce the amount of money we're taking from working families" by making government live within its means; he said he'd facilitate legislature-led pension reform.
Sources: drewforillinois.com · nprillinois.org
The office's role
1 = Partner with the governor and legislature5 = Independent watchdog on spending
Croke2/5
Croke calls the comptroller an independent office and says she would push back on the governor if needed, but describes her style as collaborative rather than adversarial.
Sources: capitolfax.com · capitolnewsillinois.com
Drew5/5
Drew says taxpayers deserve a watchdog to hold politicians accountable. He calls the office the one independent place to track spending and casts himself as a check on government.
Sources: drewforillinois.com · capitolnewsillinois.com
Priorities and record
Margaret Croke
- Create a public tool that lets residents follow state dollars from budget appropriation to final payment.Sources: crokeforillinois.com · news.wttw.com
- Modernize the office's payment and reporting systems and use predictive modeling to spot waste, fraud, and missed federal matches.
- Rebuild the rainy-day fund and make required pension payments to support state credit rating upgrades.Sources: capitolnewsillinois.com · news.wttw.com
- Proposes changing the Vendor Payment Program so financial firms cannot pick which receivables to buy, and a technical-assistance office for small vendors.Sources: shawlocal.com · news.wttw.com
Bryan Drew
- Redesign the office's website and present state spending data in plain language so residents can see where money goes.Sources: drewforillinois.com · capitolnewsillinois.com
- Act as an independent watchdog on state spending, including making grant spending to nongovernmental organizations easier to track.
- Reduce government waste so the state can lower costs and taxes for working families.Source: drewforillinois.com
- Proposes using artificial intelligence to flag potential waste, fraud, and abuse and to trace spending by nongovernmental organizations.Source: capitolnewsillinois.com
Quick answers
When is the election?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting is open now. Your county election office has locations and hours.
Who votes in this race?
Every registered voter in Illinois. Enter your ZIP code at howivote.org to see all the races on your ballot.
Does How I Vote endorse anyone?
No. It never recommends a candidate and never guesses a position from party. Where no public position exists, it says so.
Where do these summaries come from?
Candidates’ own websites, votes, questionnaires, debates and news coverage, all linked. Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.
Other races on Illinois ballots
U.S. SenateU.S. House IL-1U.S. House IL-2U.S. House IL-3U.S. House IL-4U.S. House IL-5U.S. House IL-6U.S. House IL-7U.S. House IL-8U.S. House IL-9U.S. House IL-10U.S. House IL-11U.S. House IL-12U.S. House IL-13U.S. House IL-14U.S. House IL-15U.S. House IL-16U.S. House IL-17GovernorAttorney GeneralSecretary of StateComptrollerTreasurer