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Lone Republican Sean Morrison Won’t Seek Reelection to Cook County Board in 2026

His exit ends the board’s lone GOP incumbency, opening the 17th District in next year’s countywide elections.

Overview

  • Morrison announced he will step aside after the current term, saying public office should be a season of contribution and citing his support for term limits.
  • He said the decision also reflects the practical limits of serving as the sole Republican under a Democratic supermajority in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.
  • First appointed in 2015, Morrison won full terms in 2018 and 2022 and resigned as Cook County GOP chair in April 2025.
  • With the filing deadline passed, former commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman is the only Republican candidate for the seat and will run uncontested in the primary.
  • The entire Cook County Board, including President Toni Preckwinkle, is on the ballot in 2026, and Morrison has been the board’s only Republican since Peter Silvestri’s 2022 retirement.