State Rep. Margaret Croke is running for Illinois comptroller as a Democrat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
She faces Republican Bryan Drew.
Croke has served as state representative for District 12 since 2021 and chairs the House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee, according to her campaign website. According to Croke's campaign, the comptroller manages the state's fiscal accounts, processes payments to vendors and employees, and enforces the Prevailing Wage Act.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Residence: Lincoln Park, Chicago
- Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois
- Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Michigan (2014); Oak Park River Forest High School (2010)
- Family: Husband Patrick; three children
Experience and public service
Croke has held several government and political roles. She served as Illinois regional director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, according to her campaign website. She worked in the Chicago Mayor's Office as executive assistant to the director of legislative counsel and government affairs in 2017, according to BallotReady profile data.
She later served as statewide women's outreach director for JB Pritzker's gubernatorial campaign and joined his transition team. She worked as head of special projects at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from 2019 to 2020, according to BallotReady. She also serves as 5th Central Committeewoman for the Democratic Party of Illinois, according to her campaign site.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Croke's responses to BallotReady questionnaires and her campaign website. They reflect the candidate's own stated views.
Budget transparency and fiscal management
Croke said she would implement software systems to show the full lifecycle of state dollars. Her campaign priorities page describes tracking funds "from the line item in the state budget to the time the bills are paid and the money is out the door impacting our communities."
She said she would use predictive modeling to reduce fraud and waste. She also said she supports the comptroller's proposed bill that would stop legislator pay on their last day in office rather than at the end of the month.
Prevailing wage enforcement
Croke said she would continue former Comptroller Susanna Mendoza's approach of withholding payments to employers who underpay workers, according to her campaign. She said she would dedicate additional resources to the comptroller's Prevailing Wage Office and coordinate with the Department of Labor on investigations.
Government reform
Croke said she supports term limits for legislative leaders, fair redistricting maps and greater disclosure of politicians' financial holdings. She also said she backs a one-year cooling-off period before former legislators can lobby, according to her BallotReady responses.
Taxes and property tax relief
Croke said she backs legislation to create more transparency in the property tax formula. She said she supports amending the duration of Tax Increment Financing districts from 23 to 15 years.
Gun safety
Croke said she supports universal background checks for firearm purchases and changes to the state's Firearm Owner's Identification system requiring in-person applications and fingerprinting. She also said she would modify domestic violence-related firearm prohibitions to last the length of the protective order or two years, whichever is longer, according to her BallotReady responses.
Endorsements
Croke has received endorsements from Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Cook County Democrats, the AFL-CIO, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Personal PAC and Illinois NOW PAC have also endorsed her, according to WTTW News and BallotReady data.
Candidate issue positions are based on BallotReady questionnaire responses and campaign materials. The Evanston Wire presents them for voter information and does not endorse candidates.
