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Don Tracy (born 1949/1950)[1] is an American lawyer, Republican politician, and business owner. Tracy served as acting and confirmed chair of the Illinois Gaming Board (2015–2019), an appointee of then-Governor Bruce Rauner,[2] and as chair of the Illinois Republican Party (2021–2024), succeeding Tim Schneider.[3][better source needed] He ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in his state’s 2010 general election.[4] He is the Republican nominee in the 2026 United States Senate election in Illinois.[5]

Tracy is a part of the family ownership group of the privately-held, major food service redistribution company Dot Foods, where he served as general outside counsel.[6][better source needed]

Early life and education

Donald Tracy was born in Urbana in 1949 or 1950,[1][when?] and is the son of the late founder of Dot Foods Robert F. Tracy and his wife Dorothy Agnes Tracy (née Curtin). He is the eldest of 12 children.[6] His family moved to Mount Sterling, Illinois in 1958.

He attended Western Illinois University, Arizona State University,[citation needed] and the University of Memphis Law School.[7][better source needed]

Career

Tracy has served as a partner at the Springfield firm Brown, Hay & Stephens (since 1995[8][better source needed]), and as general outside counsel to Dot Foods, Inc. of his native Mount Sterling, Illinois.[when?][6]

Tracy was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 2010, finishing third in a field of six candidates in that primary election.[4]

In 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Tracy to serve as Chair of the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB),[2][3][6][9] the “regulatory and law enforcement agency… oversee[ing] all licensed casino gambling, video gaming[,] and sports wagering” in the State of Illinois.[9] Tracy served in an acting capacity from February 2, 2015 until June 20, 2017, and as the Board’s confirmed chair from June 21, 2017 until June 14, 2019, for a total of more than four years of service.[10][8] On election of J. B. Pritzker to the governorship, Tracy offered to resign his role as Chair, but was asked by Pritzker to complete his term, which was to end on July 1, 2019; he effectively did so, resigning the position on June 14, the day after the last of the Board’s meeting scheduled in his term.[6]

As of 2019, Tracy was continuing to serve as a partner at Brown, Hay & Stephens, and as general outside counsel to Dot Foods.[6][needs update]

The 2026 Republican senate primary occurred on March 17, 2026.[11] Tracy defeated attorney Jeannie Evans and national director for the Polish American Congress‘s PAC Casey Chlebek to win the Republican primary spot.[5]

Contributions controversy

During the period of Tracy’s extended service with the IGB at the request of incoming Governor J. B. Pritzker[6] on May 31, 2019, Katherine Fischer, Assistant IG of the Executive Inspector General (EIG), issued a final report alleging that Tracy “engaged in a prohibited political activity… [in] making a $1,000 campaign contribution to a legislative candidate while serving as chair” of the Gaming Board.[8] Tracy claimed that the allegation was “nonsense”, arguing that the contribution had been made by his wife, thus presupposing that a wife could not make independent contributions. He also claimed that the Office of the Executive Inspector General (OEIG) had not interviewed his wife.[10]

No further disciplinary or prosecutorial action followed, but Tracy requested a hearing before the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission (IEEC); this request was denied.[10] Tracy then went to court, litigating the denial for two-years; a circuit court verdict found he was legally entitled to a hearing.[10] The hearing, which took place in December 2024, involved testimony from both Tracy and his wife. The IEEC ruled in January 2025 that “the inspector general [had earlier] failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Tracy had violated the law”.[10] While the press declared that Tracy had cleared his name, individuals involved in government reform expressed concern at setting a legal precedent that allowed spouses to circumvent prohibitions of illegal activity by political appointees.[10]

Personal life

Tracy is married, with 4 children and 8 grandchildren, and resides in Springfield, Illinois.[12]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b Reeder, Scott (August 28, 2025). “Don Tracy to Run for U.S. Senate”. Illinois Times (IllinoisTimes.com). Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Fink, Doug (February 2, 2015). “Don Tracy Nominated to Lead Illinois Gaming Board”. The State Journal-Register (SJ-R.com). Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Olsen, Dean. “Springfield’s Don Tracy, Ex-Illinois Gaming Board Chairman, a Finalist for State GOP Chair”. The State Journal-Register (SJ-R.com). Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Ballotpedia Staff (March 19, 2026). Altic, Josh (ed.). “Illinois Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2010”. Ballotpedia (ballotpedia.org). Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  5. ^ a b NBC News Staff (March 18, 2026). “Illinois Senate Primary Election 2026 Live Results”. NBC News (nbcnews.com). Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Schoenburg, Bernard (June 20, 2019). “Tracy Resigns as Gaming Board Chairman”. The State Journal-Register. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  7. ^ Tracy, Don & RNLA Staff (March 19, 2026). “Member Profile—Don Tracy”. Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA.org). Retrieved March 19, 2026.[independent source needed]
  8. ^ a b c Fischer, Katherine; Spears, Reginald & OEIG Staff (May 31, 2019). “In Re: Don Tracy—OEG Case #18-01946 / OEIG Final Report” (PDF document). Chicago, IL: State of Illinois, Office of the Executive Inspector General (OEIG). p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) 23 pp. “Secretary of State records show that the Governor [Rauner] appointed Don Tracy as member and Chair of the Gaming Board effective February 2, 2015. The records show that [his] Oath of Office was filed with the Secretary of State on January 30, 2015.6 … [Footnote 6.] 6The records also show that the Governor withdrew this appointment on January 25, 2016 at 4:29 p.m., and at 4:30 p.m. appointed him to the position through July 1, 2016. On July 15, 2016, the Office of the Governor filed another appointment and signed Oath of Office, reappointing Don Tracy as member and Chair of the Gaming Board until July 1, 2019. The Senate confirmed the appointment on June 21, 2017.” While the findings of this report were overturned, see Reeder (February 20, 2025), op. cit., it nevertheless, when speaking to established and uncontested matters of Tracy’s career timeline, can be viewed as a reliable source.
  9. ^ a b IGB Staff (March 19, 2026). “Welcome to the Illinois Gaming Board”. Illinois Gaming Board (IGB.Illinois.gov). Springfield, IL: State of Illinois. Retrieved March 19, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b c d e f Reeder, Scott (February 20, 2025). “Don Tracy Clears His Name”. Illinois Times (IllinoisTimes.com). Retrieved March 19, 2026. Illinois executive inspector general previously cited him for prohibited political activity
  11. ^ “Illinois Senate Primary Election 2026 Live Results”. www.nbcnews.com. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  12. ^ “Meet Don – Don Tracy for US Senate”. dontracyforil.com. Retrieved April 7, 2026.