State Rep. Margaret Croke is running as a Democrat for Illinois Comptroller in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Bryan Drew.
Croke has represented Illinois House District 12 since 2021 and chairs the House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee, according to her state representative 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 held several government and political roles. She served as Illinois regional director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and worked on Gov. JB Pritzker's transition team in 2018–2019, according to her state representative website. She also served as head of special projects at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from 2019 to 2020.
She serves as 5th Central Committeewoman for the Democratic Party of Illinois and served as treasurer and board member at Think Big America in 2023, according to her campaign website.
Croke has been endorsed by Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as WTTW reported. She has also received endorsements from the Cook County Democrats, AFL-CIO, IUOE Local 150, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Personal PAC and Illinois NOW PAC, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Croke's responses to BallotReady questionnaires and her campaign website. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.
Budget transparency and fiscal oversight
Croke said 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 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 pay for departing legislators on their last day rather than at the end of the month.
Prevailing wage enforcement
Croke said she would continue Comptroller Susanna Mendoza's enforcement of the Prevailing Wage Act by withholding payments to employers who underpay workers. She said she would dedicate additional resources to the Comptroller's Prevailing Wage Office and work with the Department of Labor to complete investigations in a timely manner.
Property taxes and school funding
Croke said she supports greater transparency in the property tax formula. She also said she backs what she calls the fair tax, a graduated income tax, to increase the state's share of public school funding, which she said stands at 26%, to lessen the burden on local property taxes. She said she supports reducing the duration of tax increment financing districts from 23 to 15 years.
Government reform
Croke said she supports term limits for legislative leaders, fair redistricting maps and a one-year cooling-off period before former legislators and staff can lobby in Illinois. She also said she supports greater financial disclosure requirements for elected officials.
Economy and workforce
Croke said she wants to give small businesses access to state resources through a simplified online platform. She said she supports investing in apprenticeship programs for in-demand occupations and incentivizing industries like clean energy, lifesciences and information technology to locate in Illinois.
Candidate responses were collected through BallotReady questionnaires and the candidate's campaign website. The Park Ridge Wire presents these positions to help voters evaluate candidates and does not endorse in any race.
