* Daily Herald poses a campaign question to a government employee on state time…

Prompted by what he calls “radical” changes in Illinois’ criminal justice system, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick is skipping a potential third term as the county’s top cop and setting his sights instead on the governor’s mansion. […]

Pritzker has not said whether he will run again in 2026. With a growing national profile as an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump, his name also has been floated as a possible Democratic nominee for president in 2028.

Press secretary Alex Gough said via email Thursday that nothing has changed regarding Pritzker’s reelection plans, and declined to comment on Mendrick’s announcement.

Apparently, Gough told him Pritzker had already spoken to this and then referred the reporter to the campaign side.

* I don’t have hard data, but I have decades of experience listening to state government spokespersons regularly complain about reporters asking them campaign questions during state hours.

Hey, I’ve done it sometimes without thinking. It happens. But it’s not right to put a government employee in that position.

People write stories all the time about ethics violations, etc., yet it’s reporters who might be committing the most common ethics breach.

* Anyway, here’s an announcement/background roundup from Isabel…

* WGN | DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announces GOP run for Illinois governor: DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick on Thursday announced a Republican bid to become the next governor of Illinois. Seeking the GOP nomination in 2026, Mendrick declared that he would not be running for a third term as DuPage County Sheriff. Mendrick endorsed Undersheriff Eddie Moore as his successor.

* Politico | Illinois Playbook: Mendrick doesn’t even have a campaign manager yet. His wife, a psychiatric nurse, filled the role in his two bids for sheriff, “but this will be too big for her to do alone so we’re going to figure all that out this weekend,” he said in an interview with your Playbook host. […] “I did not plan on running for sure,” Mendrick said. He made the surprise move after choosing not to leave Illinois because he didn’t like how it’s being run. He’s now staying put in Woodridge after his 25-year-old son said he wasn’t budging. Mendrick and his wife also have a 22-year-old son with autism and are active in the disability community, he said.

* FOX Chicago | DuPage County sheriff announces run for Illinois Governor: What’s next: Mendrick will need strong Republican backing to mount a successful campaign against Governor Pritzker, who has a significant financial advantage with $323 million spent on past campaigns. “The backing I’m already getting is more than I expected. Will I be able to match a billionaire? No, probably not, but I just watched a presidential candidate (Kamala Harris) spend $2 billion and get nowhere with it,” he said.

* Daily Herald | ‘We want our state back’: DuPage sheriff announces he will run for governor in 2026: Mendrick acknowledges that running for governor is a costly proposition, especially if he ultimately faces off with a self-funded billionaire like Pritzker. Even so, he said he didn’t make much effort to contact Republican leadership to line up support and fundraising before Thursday. “I think my message is strong enough that it will draw support,” he said, adding that he’s already been inundated with calls and messages from people offering support.

* Tribune | DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick seeking GOP bid for Illinois governor in 2026: “I don’t care if the Democrats hate me and the media hates me. Do you really think I’m gonna get their votes anyway? I mean, really. And this is the Republican problem. A lot will be, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Let me join with …’” he told the GOP group. “No. Absolutely not. Hold firm. Do your job. Be a Republican. And don’t waver to these people just because they’re crying and screaming at you.”

* ABC Chicago, 2023 | Hundreds pack DuPage County Board meeting to criticize, laud sheriff over assault weapons ban: The large response comes after DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said he would not enforce the ban. He is one of more than 80 of the 102 sheriffs in the state who said they are not enforcing the new law.

* NCTV | No censure for DuPage Sheriff, agreement reached on weapons ban enforcement: On Jan. 23, U.S. Representatives, state legislators, members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and DuPage County Board members met at the Danada House in Wheaton for a press conference, speaking out against Mendrick’s stance. During it, Rep. Sean Casten called for Mendrick to either retract his statement or resign. After the announcement, Mendrick released a statement saying the legislators held the press conference “to admonish and berate me, your DuPage County Sheriff, for questioning their authority of a very poorly written piece of legislation that has no clear direction on who will be enforcing new gun laws.”

…Adding… The governor was asked about Sheriff Mendrick during an unrelated event…

Good luck. Everybody has the option of running for public office. I understand he announced yesterday on his Facebook page, and so I don’t really have anything to say more about that. And I have not made up my mind about whether I would run for re-election.