DuPage County Sheriff Mendrick, 1st to announce candidacy for IL governor, sees himself as outsider

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Republican sheriff of DuPage County has become the first candidate to join the race for Illinois governor.

James Mendrick announced his intentions on Facebook Thursday.

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Mendrick views himself as an outsider. He did not speak to party leaders before declaring on his social media page that he is running for governor.

Mendrick has been with the DuPage County Sheriff's Office for nearly three decades. He's spent the last seven years running the department.

And now he wants to run the state, as the next governor, making the announcement on "The Ray Stevens Show."

He said he is fed up with the way the state is being run, and, rather than move, he wants to change the direction Illinois is headed.

"For me, this is a personal fight, where I feel I can do some good. I feel like I can really make a difference," Mendrick said.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who says he hasn't decided on a reelection bid, was asked Friday about Mendrick's entry.

"Good luck, everybody has the option of running for public office," Pritzker said.

Political experts say Pritzker's decision is key to determining who else will enter the race from either party.

But former state party chair Pat Brady says Mendrick represents law and order, has done a lot with rehabilitating those in the jail and has a legitimate chance.

"The sheriff's been a great public servant. He's popular in DuPage County, where there are a lot of Republican votes, a lot of votes period," said Brady, with Be Media.

Mendrick is also a Donald Trump supporter. Though, he says, he is not a politician.

"I don't think the citizens want another politician. They want someone to do the right thing for the right reasons," Mendrick said.

He will not run for his third term as DuPage County sheriff next year.

The election is still quite a way off. The primary is more than a year away.

The general election is in November of 2026.

There's still plenty of time for other possible candidates to announce their plans.