Biography
Don Tracy is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois. A Springfield attorney, he chaired the Illinois Gaming Board from 2015 to 2019 and the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 to 2024.[2][3][4] He says he is running to represent all 102 Illinois counties, and his stated top priority is lowering the cost of living.[1][4]
Tracy was born in Urbana, Illinois, and says he was raised in Mt. Sterling and raised his own family in Springfield.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and a law degree from the University of Memphis.[2] He says he began working in the warehouse of his family's business at age 10 and later ran a small business; IPM Newsroom reports that his parents founded DOT Foods in Mount Sterling and that he is the company's general outside counsel.[1][4] Tracy is an attorney at the Springfield law firm Brown, Hay & Stephens, where he is senior counsel and where WGLT reported in 2021 that he was a partner.[2][3][4]
Tracy ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2010.[4] He chaired the Illinois Gaming Board from February 2015 until June 2019, during Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration. He resigned after the state Office of Executive Inspector General reported that he had engaged in improper political activity by making several campaign contributions while serving on the board, in violation of the Riverboat Gambling Act.[3] In February 2021 the party's Central Committee named him chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, succeeding Tim Schneider; he was the first party chairman since 1988 not from Chicago or the collar counties.[3] He left the chairmanship in 2024, complaining at the time about party in-fighting.[4] He says he has served on boards including the Abraham Lincoln Association and the Sangamon County Bar.[1][2]
Tracy announced his Senate candidacy in August 2025, after Democrat Dick Durbin said he would retire.[4] He won the Republican primary on March 17, 2026, with 40.0% of the vote.[2] According to IPM Newsroom, he and his wife, Wanda, have four children and eight grandchildren.[4]
- 1.United States Senate election in Illinois, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Don Tracy · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Illinois Republicans Name Don Tracy As New Chairman · WGLT / Capitol News Illinois News report
- 4.Springfield attorney Don Tracy announces U.S. Senate bid · IPM Newsroom · 2025-08-13 News report
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.