Darren Bailey wins GoP nomination in Illinois, will face JB Pritzker again in high-stakes governor race

Republican voters in Illinois have chosen Darren Bailey as their candidate for governor, setting up a rematch with incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker in November.

Bailey, a former state senator and the party’s 2022 nominee, won the four-way Republican primary on Tuesday night, according to unofficial results reported by the Associated Press.

He secured around 50 percent of the vote ahead of Ted Dabrowski who received about 32 percent.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and businessman Rick Heidner trailed with less than 10 per cent each.

Bailey previously lost to Pritzker in the 2022 general election but has returned with a renewed campaign strategy focused more on Chicago and its suburbs.

He selected Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.

“Aaron definitely brings a whole bunch of stuff to the table,” Bailey supporter Crystal Bell said in an interview Tuesday night.

“The dynamic duo, is what I call them.”

Bailey’s campaign comes after a personal tragedy, when his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were killed in a helicopter crash.

He chose to continue his run, saying he was doing so “not for politics, but for every family trying to make it in a state that’s lost its way, for every parent who dreams of a better future for their children and for every Illinoisan who knows that we can do better.”