The secretary of state’s office is is not the stuff of dreams, but winning it proffers statewide name recognition. The office also is important because all Illinois residents must deal with it (or stand in line it) at one point or another, so efficient service is paramount. Vying to run against Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in November are Republicans Diane Harris, 70, and Walter Adamczyk, 48.
Adamczyk is a Republican committeeman in Chicago’s 29th Ward and says he wants to provide free IDs to veterans. Harris, of Joliet, is a small business owner and former teacher, and an active member of the Republican Party, serving as a precinct committee head and vice chair of the Joliet Township Republicans. Both are running on the need to improve customer service and operational efficiency.
Each of these candidates has run before, albeit unsuccessfully, for higher office. Harris ran in 2022 for the Illinois Senate in the 43rd District, losing by 12 points to Democratic state Sen. Rachel Ventura. Adamczyk, on the other hand, mounted a write-in bid for Chicago City Council in 2023 that drew minimal support. Neither candidate currently reports significant fundraising, making a general-election challenge steep against a well-known and well-funded incumbent. Of the two Republican candidates, Harris is the more viable option.
Diane Harris is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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