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PritzkerUpdated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Don Tracy, a Springfield lawyer who chaired the Illinois Gaming Board and the Illinois Republican Party, is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2026.
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GOP Candidate for U.S. Senate Don Tracy makes his case as Election Day approaches
Illinois voters haven’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2010, but Don Tracy is campaigning hard in hopes of defeating Democratic nominee and two-term Lieutenant Governor, Juliana Stratton. [...] Tracy.
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Lobbyist campaign cash helps fuel Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton's run for U.S. Senate seat - Chicago Sun-Times
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Chicago Sun-Times
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Illinois Voter Guide 2026: Meet the Candidates Running for Statewide Office
Don Tracy is an attorney based in Central Illinois. He is a Senior Counsel at Brown, Hay & Stephens, which his campaign website says is the oldest law firm in the state and where Abraham Lincoln practiced law.
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No story this week names this candidate.
- Birthplace
- Urbana
- Education
- Western Illinois University
Arizona State University
University of Memphis Law School
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Donald Tracy, born in 1949 or 1950 in Urbana, is the eldest of twelve children of Dorothy Agnes Tracy (née Curtin) and Robert F. Tracy, founder of Dot Foods, a food service redistribution business. In 1958 the family relocated to Mount Sterling, Illinois.
He studied at Western Illinois University and Arizona State University before attending law school at the University of Memphis.
Tracy is part of the family group that owns Dot Foods, a privately held company, and has acted as its general outside counsel; he has also been a partner at the Springfield law firm Brown, Hay & Stephens since 1995.
Career
In 2010 Tracy ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of Illinois, placing third among six candidates in the primary. Governor Bruce Rauner named him in 2015 to lead the Illinois Gaming Board, the state agency that oversees licensed casinos, video gaming and sports wagering.
He was acting chair from February 2, 2015, to June 20, 2017, and then, once confirmed, from June 21, 2017, to his resignation on June 14, 2019, staying on after incoming Governor JB Pritzker asked him to complete his term.
From 2021 to 2024 he chaired the Illinois Republican Party, following Tim Schneider in that role.
2026 race
Tracy is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Dick Durbin, who is retiring after five terms, which makes the 2026 contest the first open Senate race in Illinois since 2010.
In the March 17, 2026, Republican primary he received 40% of the vote, defeating attorney Jeannie Evans and Casey Chlebek, national director of the Polish American Congress's political action committee. U.S. Representatives Mike Bost and Darin LaHood endorsed him.
His opponent in the general election on November 3, 2026, is Democratic Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. State senator Jil Tracy is his sister-in-law.