It's Pritzker vs. Bailey, Part Deux
Former Sen. Darren Bailey (L) and Lt. Governor candidate Aaron Del Mar celebrate winning the GOP primary for Governor and Lt. Governor Tuesday night in Springfield. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
Former State Senator Darren Bailey, who lost the 2022 race for Governor to JB Pritzker by around 13 points, is back for round two.
Bailey sailed to the GOP nomination for Governor Tuesday, defeating policy expert Ted Dabrowski by around 300,000 votes to around 161,000 votes, a margin of 54% to 29%.
Dabrowski dominated in Cook County and the suburbs, but Bailey pulled away with overwhelming numbers downstate.
In a speech to supporters at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Springfield on his 60th birthday, Bailey’s voice cracked with emotion when he discussed the death of his son, daughter-in-law, and two of their children in a helicopter crash last year.
“Losing my son and his family changed me forever,” Bailey said. “It stripped away the noise and clarified what truly matters: faith, family, and fighting for the people God places in your care.”
Bailey spent much of his remarks Tuesday attacking Pritzker’s economic record.
“Governor J.B. Pritzker has spent years telling Illinois families that higher taxes, higher fees, and higher costs are necessary. Necessary for who? Not for you and not for him,” Bailey said. "While families are being taxed out of their homes, he lives in multiple mansions, hides his fortune in offshore bank accounts, and lectures working people about sacrifice.”
Shortly after the Associated Press called the GOP primary for Bailey, Pritzker’s campaign was out with a statement tying Bailey to President Donald Trump.
“Darren Bailey has proven time and time again that he only cares about winning Trump’s approval,” spokesman Alex Gough said in a statement. “His ultra-MAGA values threaten to move Illinois backward, making him far too conservative for this state. Illinois deserves a governor who’s focused on what matters, and that’s exactly what Governor Pritzker is delivering: lowering health care costs, expanding childcare and paid leave, and protecting fundamental freedoms.”
Bailey disputed the ties to Trump.
“I am my own man,” he said.
Bailey enters the General Election season a heavy underdog in the rematch against the billionaire Governor as Bailey raised a fraction of his total cash from the 2022 primary in 2026.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick captured around 10% of the vote in the GOP primary while businessman Rick Heidner finished a disappointing 4th, with around 8% of the vote.
