Darren Bailey announces second run for Illinois governor to challenge Pritzker

On Thursday, former Illinois Republican nominee Darren Bailey launched his second campaign for the governor's office, to once again challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The southern Illinois farmer and former state senator announced his candidacy in a social media post. 

Bailey is from Xenia, located northeast of Mt. Vernon. He was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2019 and claimed a state senate seat in 2020. He won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022.

Bailey has always positioned himself as an ally of President Trump, and gained recognition during the COVID pandemic in 2020 after he filed a lawsuit against Pritzker's “stay-at-home” order. 

He was also a critic of Pritzker’s role in getting the “SAFE-T Act” passed.

In the 2022 general election, Pritzker defeated Bailey by a margin of 55-to-43 percent.

During his campaign announcement on Thursday, Bailey announced that Aaron del Mar, Cook County Republican Party chairman, would be his running mate.


(AP 2022 file photo)