Darren Bailey "Seriously Considering" Entering Governor's Race
Then-Sen. Darren Bailey speaks to the Chicago Tribune editorial board in 2022. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Darren Bailey, the conservative former state senator and 2022 GOP nominee for Governor, is “strongly considering” entering the race for Governor in 2026, multiple sources tell The Illinoize.
Bailey lost to Governor JB Pritzker by 13 points in a race where he was vastly outspent by the billionaire incumbent in 2022. He served one term in the House and one term in the Senate before running for Governor three years ago.
Sources close to Bailey say the former lawmaker had not been considering the race until the past couple of weeks, and started ramping up speculation with a social media post Monday.
He won the 2022 primary with around 58% of the vote. He was boosted by the endorsement of President Donald Trump and around $30 million of spending facilitated by Pritzker aimed to promote Bailey and hurt GOP candidate Richard Irvin.
The 2026 cycle has left Illinois Republicans in a tough spot finding a top tier candidate for Governor. DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick is the only declared major GOP candidate so far. Former Illinois Policy Institute staffer Ted Dabrowski, president of conservative media company Wirepoints, has said he intends to enter the race. Cook County GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar said he expects to decide by the end of this week if he’ll enter the race.
“If Bailey is in the primary he wins,” said a GOP consultant not affiliated with Bailey. “But JB Pritzker would love it, too.”
Bailey was heavily criticized for conservative positions on abortion and other social issues. He struggled to gain traction with suburban voters leading to his sound defeat three years ago.
He challenged Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) in a primary last year, losing a close race by about 2,000 votes (51.4% to 48.6%).
Does Bailey believe he could beat Pritzker in a rematch?
“If Darren gets in the race, he thinks he can win,” a source said.
