Christian L. Mitchell, a Democrat, is running for Illinois lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with Gov. JB Pritzker in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Pritzker announced Mitchell as his running mate on July 1, 2025, after incumbent Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced she would run for U.S. Senate. Aaron Del Mar, a Republican, and Carolyn Schofield, an Independent, are also running for the seat, according to BallotReady.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Running mate: Gov. JB Pritzker
- Hometown: Raised in Westchester and Maywood, Illinois, according to Block Club Chicago
- Education: Bachelor's degree in public policy analysis, University of Chicago (2008); law degree, Loyola University Chicago (2019)
- Military service: Captain and deputy staff judge advocate, Illinois Air National Guard (2023–present)
- Family background: Mitchell said he was raised by his mother, who worked as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Rush University Hospital in Chicago for nearly 40 years, and his grandfather, a Korean War veteran, union steelworker and church elder
Experience and public service
Mitchell served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019, representing District 26. When first elected in November 2012, he was the youngest member of the 98th General Assembly, according to Illinois Public Media.
He served as interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois in 2018. He was the first African American to serve as executive director of the party, according to his Wikipedia entry. He then served as a senior advisor on the Pritzker-Stratton gubernatorial transition before becoming deputy governor for public safety from 2019 to 2023.
Mitchell worked as vice president of civic engagement at the University of Chicago from 2023 to 2025. He joined the Air National Guard in 2023. His earlier career included work as a community organizer with Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation and as a Midwest media and polling regional director for Obama for America in 2012.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Mitchell's campaign materials and media interviews. They reflect the candidate's own statements unless otherwise noted.
Clean energy: Mitchell said he led efforts as deputy governor to pass the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which sets a 2045 fossil fuel phase-out goal for Illinois. He said he supports maintaining that timeline while using the law's built-in circuit breaker provisions to address reliability concerns. Implementation of the act's targets depends on action by the General Assembly and state regulators.
Education funding: Mitchell said he advocated for evidence-based education funding reform in Illinois, which he said has directed billions of new dollars to schools that need it most. He said he supports continued increases in K-12 education funding. Specific dollar amounts and funding mechanisms were not provided.
Data centers and energy policy: Mitchell said he supports pausing the state data center tax credit and requiring large tech companies building data centers to provide their own power. He said the goal is to prevent everyday consumers and small businesses from bearing higher energy costs. Such a pause would require legislative action.
Reproductive rights: Mitchell's campaign website describes him as a vocal advocate for a woman's right to choose.
Labor: Mitchell's campaign biography states he opposed right-to-work laws while serving as a state representative.
Endorsements
Mitchell has received endorsements from the AFL-CIO, IUOE Local 150 and Cook County Democrats, according to BallotReady.
Candidate policy positions and biographical claims are based on Mitchell's campaign materials and media interviews. The Evanston Wire did not independently verify all claims. Responses from other candidates in this race are published separately.
