Darren Bailey (born March 17, 1966, in Louisville, Illinois) is a Republican politician, farmer, and businessman from Xenia, Illinois. He has represented Southern Illinois in both the Illinois House (109th District) and Illinois Senate (55th District), and was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022. In 2026, he again secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, with Cook County Chairman Aaron del Mar as his running mate, setting up a rematch against incumbent Governor J.B. Pritzker.
Bailey's political profile is rooted in downstate, rural Illinois. He graduated from North Clay High School and earned an Associate of Science in agricultural production from Lake Land College before entering farming and local civic life. He served on the North Clay Board of Education before winning his Illinois House seat in 2018 with support from Dan Proft's Liberty Principles PAC, defeating an incumbent Republican in the primary.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey gained national attention for suing Governor Pritzker over his stay-at-home orders, arguing they unfairly burdened Clay County residents. He was temporarily removed from the Illinois House floor in May 2020 for refusing to wear a mask, a moment that became emblematic of his confrontational approach to pandemic-era governance. He also served in the Illinois Senate, where he was Minority Spokesperson on the Agriculture Committee.
In 2022, Bailey won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 57.7% of the vote and the endorsement of Donald Trump, backed by over $50 million from businessman Dick Uihlein. He lost the general election to Pritzker by 12.5 points but outperformed polling by 3.7% and flipped four counties that Pritzker had carried in 2018. A 2024 congressional primary bid against incumbent Mike Bost fell narrowly short.
Conservative Populist
Achievements
- Won the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary with 57.7% of the vote and Donald Trump's endorsement, carrying all but two counties.
- Secured the 2026 Republican gubernatorial nomination, earning a rematch against Governor Pritzker.
- Outperformed his 2022 polling aggregate by 3.7% and flipped four counties that Pritzker had won in 2018.
- Served in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, holding the Agriculture Minority Spokesperson role in the Senate.
- Received over $50 million in support from Dick Uihlein in 2022, one of the largest single-donor investments in Illinois GOP history.
Controversies
- Removed from the Illinois House floor in May 2020 for refusing to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Drew widespread backlash for comments made during a July 4, 2022 livestream in the immediate aftermath of the Highland Park parade shooting; he later apologized.
- Made a 2017 Facebook video comparing the scale of abortion to the Holocaust, which generated significant criticism.
- Declined to acknowledge the results of the 2020 presidential election, stating he did not know if Trump's disproven fraud claims were legitimate.
- Co-sponsored a 2019 resolution calling for Chicago to become its own state, which he later distanced himself from when running statewide.