Margaret Croke, a Democratic state representative from Chicago, is running for Illinois Comptroller in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Bryan Drew.
Croke has said a budget "is more than a financial document, it's a moral document," according to her campaign website.
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, PJ, Mary Pearl and Hattie
Experience and public service
Croke has served as state representative for District 12 since 2021, according to her campaign biography. She chairs the House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee and serves as 5th Central Committeewoman for the Democratic Party of Illinois, according to her campaign website.
Before entering the legislature, Croke worked in several government and political roles. She served as head of special projects at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from 2019 to 2020 and as a member of Gov. JB Pritzker's transition team from 2018 to 2019, according to BallotReady and her campaign biography. She also worked as statewide women's outreach director for Pritzker's gubernatorial campaign from 2017 to 2018.
Earlier, Croke served as Illinois regional director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign from 2016 to 2017 and worked in the Chicago Mayor's Office as executive assistant to the director of legislative counsel and government affairs in 2017. She also served as treasurer and board member of Think Big America in 2023, according to her campaign website.
On the issues
The following positions reflect the candidate's own stated views.
Budget transparency and fiscal management: Croke says she would implement software systems to track state dollars "from the line item in the state budget to the time the bills are paid and the money is out the door …" according to her campaign website. She says she would use predictive modeling to reduce fraud and waste. She also supports property tax formula transparency, according to her BallotReady responses.
Prevailing wage enforcement: Croke says she would continue outgoing Comptroller Susanna Mendoza's enforcement of the Prevailing Wage Act by withholding payments to employers who underpay workers. She says she would dedicate additional resources to the Comptroller's Prevailing Wage Office and work with the Department of Labor on investigations, according to her campaign website.
Government reform: Croke says she supports term limits for legislative leaders, a one-year cooling-off period before former legislators can lobby in Illinois and greater disclosure of politicians' financial holdings, according to her BallotReady responses. She also supports a bill that would stop legislator pay on their last day in office rather than at the end of the month.
Economy and workforce: Croke says she supports incentivizing apprenticeship programs and attracting industries such as clean energy, life sciences and information technology to Illinois. She says she would give small businesses access to state resources through an online platform, according to her BallotReady responses.
Environment: Croke says she supports the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a plan to move Illinois to 100% clean energy, according to her BallotReady responses.
Endorsements
Croke has been endorsed by Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as reported by WTTW News. She has also received endorsements from the AFL-CIO, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, IUOE Local 150, Cook County Democrats, Personal PAC and Illinois NOW PAC, according to BallotReady.
Candidate responses are drawn from BallotReady questionnaires and the candidate's campaign website.
