Vrankovich focuses on taxes, business experience in 47th House District race bid: ‘I’m not a politician, I’m a negotiator’
In one of Illinois' closest legislative races in 2024, State Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) held onto the 47th House District seat by fewer than 300 votes, defeating Democrat Jackie Williamson 50.2% to 49.8%.
Now, with Grant retiring after four terms, the politically divided district is expected to be a battleground again as Republican Robert Vrankovich faces Democrat Erica Bray-Parker in the Nov. 3 general election.Vrankovich, a Carol Stream entrepreneur and business owner, says concerns about Illinois' affordability and business climate motivated him to seek the open seat. He is campaigning on concerns about Illinois’ business climate, affordability and population loss.
He cites his extensive experience in business negotiations, logistics and large-scale operations across industries as proof he can bridge differences and get results in Springfield.
“Friends ask me all the time, ‘how do you like being in the political world?’” Vrankovich told the DuPage Policy Journal. “I don't like being a politician. I'm not a politician, I'm a negotiator. I've negotiated many contracts. I've done some really good stuff. Grew a company from zero to $110 million."
Vrankovich has lived in Carol Stream for 25 years, where he has raised his 22-year-old daughter and 20-year-old son, and has spent nearly his entire life in DuPage County. He grew up in Roselle and previously lived in Streamwood and Schaumburg.
He said he was driven to serve the community by concerns about affordability for average citizens in the 47th District.
“I really, really care about what I call the bookends of life,” he said. “So you start first at that 18-year-old to 30-year-old, and from 65 till the good Lord takes you. And I look at those bookends, which are really important, and you have people that grow up here and then move out because they can't afford it. So they're moving to states that are around us, or moving to red states because it's easier to live there. And I don't want my kids, I don't want my grandkids to be away from me.”
Drawing on his background as an entrepreneur who built and sold a propane company, Vrankovich argues that excessive regulation and taxation are driving businesses and residents out of the state.He positions himself as a “problem solver” with private-sector experience who can bring practical, business-minded decision-making to Springfield.
He said he believes Illinois needs more lawmakers with practical business experience.
“It’s at a point where we just need some normal or basic people that understand what life is all about and the struggles that life goes through in Springfield,” he said.
Vrankovich is vocal about lowering property taxes. Illinois has the highest residential property tax rate in the U.S. at an average effective rate of 1.88%, more than double the national average, resulting in thousands of dollars in annual bills for typical homeowners and even higher burdens in several northern Illinois counties, Illinois Policy reports.
When discussing concerns he hears from older residents, Vrankovich pointed to senior citizens living on fixed incomes, particularly those facing rising property tax bills.
“I’ve worked my whole life to buy a home and then to find out I pay taxes, property taxes, for instance, that are more expensive,” he said. “The payment is more expensive than my home is worth.”
Vrankovich is also focused on cutting state spending.
"We're stuck at the budget where it's at," he said. "We shouldn't expand on the budget. We should look internally to see what we do throughout that budget."
Vrankovich’s comments come just days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a record $55.9 billion state budget for fiscal 2026, the largest in state history, as Illinois again approved increased spending alongside new and expanded revenue sources.
The budget includes a mix of tax hikes and fees such as new charges on digital advertising, social media users, digital assets and corporate tax changes, projected to generate hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars in additional revenue, which increases the tax burden on residents and businesses.
He also noted creating a more favorable environment for employers, job creation and business retention as priorities.
"We need to continue to create better jobs, keep jobs here, and continue to look at the growth opportunities," Vrankovich said.
His campaign outreach has focused heavily on door-to-door canvassing throughout DuPage County communities.
“I have been knocking at doors,” he said. “I can tell you this, Democrats can put all the money on having people knock at doors and pay them. It's different when a candidate comes to your door versus somebody that doesn't know anything about you and just has a little pamphlet and they learn 15 minutes online and they talk about some nonsense. So I have been really hitting the doors hard and going to events…actually telling them my message.”
He said face-to-face interactions have been central to his campaign outreach across the district.
“One of the ones I enjoy the most is when I come to her house where it's the split family and you get the other side that kind of goes, wow, Republicans actually have feelings,” he said. “Republicans really are real people.”
Vrankovich said direct voter contact has reinforced his belief that residents share more common ground than political rhetoric suggests.
“I think we have 2% to left and 2% of the right that rises to the top, and we hear the 4% everywhere, and 96% of us are truly on the same page,” he said.
He added that understanding differing viewpoints is critical to effective governing.
"I want to know what both sides are doing,” he said. “And because you don't learn, you don't know how to negotiate if you don't know anything about the other side.”
Community service and charitable work also feature prominently in Vrankovich's campaign message. He points to his family's involvement in the Carol Stream Christmas Sharing Program, which collects toys and essential items for local families during the holiday season.
He said he became involved with a Christmas sharing program about 10 years ago after learning more about it and began donating gifts through the initiative. In the most recent December, the effort included roughly 3,800 total donated items, including about 1,700 toys and approximately 2,200 essential items collected through contributions from people he knows and works with.
"The goal was just to help," Vrankovich said. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what side it's on. You just want to help people."
Vrankovich also cited his nephew, who has nonverbal autism, as a motivation for seeking office and advocating for families with special-needs children.
"The state is just not good at helping in that world," he said. "We need to harness the people that are at any type of special needs and make sure that they have a home here instead of their family leaving to go to other states."
Illinois House District 47 includes all or portions of Bartlett, Carol Stream, Lisle, Naperville, Warrenville, Wheaton and Winfield.