Darren Bailey Wins Illinois GOP Primary — Setting Up a Pritzker Rematch With a Very Different Playbook
New running mate. New tone. Unimaginable personal tragedy. The downstate farmer is back — and this time he is campaigning in Chicago. #Illinois
Darren Bailey Is Back. And This Time, He's Running a Different Campaign.
Darren Bailey won the Illinois Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night, setting up a rematch with billionaire Democrat Governor JB Pritzker. Bailey took about 50% of the vote in a four-way race, beating conservative policy leader Ted Dabrowski (32%), DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, and self-funding businessman Rick Heidner.
If that sounds familiar, it should. Bailey ran this race in 2022 and lost the general 55-42. So why should grassroots conservatives care about Round Two?
Because this time, Bailey is running a fundamentally different campaign.
What Changed
In 2022, Bailey ran as a downstate firebrand who energized the conservative base but got crushed in Cook County and the suburbs. He knew it. This time, he picked Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate and has been deliberately campaigning in Chicago and the collar counties.
He also struck a notably different tone on election night, putting some daylight between himself and Trump while still aligning on policy:
"You're going to hear JB Pritzker and his Democrat allies try to compare me to Donald Trump and use some pretty mean words while doing it. Well, there are things that I agree with Donald Trump about, and there are things that I disagree with him about. I am my own man. But when Trump is right, we're going to try to do those things in Illinois."
The Personal Story
In October, barely a month after announcing his candidacy, Bailey suffered an unimaginable tragedy: his son Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey, and two grandchildren, 12-year-old Vada Rose and 7-year-old Samuel, were killed in a helicopter crash in Montana.
He stayed in the race. His explanation was simple and powerful:
"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."
The Platform
Bailey is running on cutting government spending, reducing taxes, cracking down on crime, and ending sanctuary state policies. He wants a DOGE-style commission to root out waste and inefficiency in state government. He founded a private Christian school with his wife Cindy. He is a third-generation downstate farmer who has never pretended to be anything else.
On election night, he called for unity immediately:
"This primary is over. Regardless of who you voted for, regardless of our past differences, this election is bigger than all of that. We must join together to stop another four years of billionaire leadership that doesn't understand your life, your bills, or your struggle."
Can He Win This Time?
Illinois is deep blue. Pritzker is a billionaire with unlimited resources. He's seeking a historic third term, the first governor to try since the 1980s. The odds are steep.
But 2026 is not 2022. The DHS shutdown, rising costs, and national security concerns have shifted the landscape. Bailey has a suburban running mate, a more disciplined message, and a personal story that makes him harder to caricature. Pritzker will spend a fortune trying anyway.
For grassroots conservatives in Illinois and beyond, Bailey's second shot is worth watching. Sometimes the rematch is the real fight.
Sources
• NBC Chicago: Bailey Wins GOP Primary