Clay County farmer and former state lawmaker, Darren Bailey is gearing up for another run against Governor JB Pritzker after Tuesday night’s primary, but results show he faces significant challenges in the Chicago area.
Bailey and his team began rallying support at a unity breakfast in Naperville on Wednesday, signaling a new focus on the suburbs and Chicago region. The primary results highlighted a sharp geographic divide: Bailey lost heavily to conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski in Cook, Lake, and DuPage counties, and trails Dabrowski in Alexander County. In 2022, Bailey dominated the primary, winning every county except one.
Dabrowski, from Wilmette, captured 48% of the vote in Cook County to Bailey’s 31%, a reversal from four years ago when Bailey led in the county. Statewide, Bailey’s support dipped to 53.5%—down from 57% in the last primary—with turnout also appearing lower than in 2022.
Bailey acknowledged the challenges ahead, especially in expanding his appeal beyond his conservative southern Illinois base, where he still won more than 75% of the vote in many rural counties, including over 90% in his home county of Clay. “For the next eight months, get used to me because you’re going to be seeing me up here almost every day,” Bailey told reporters.
The GOP’s geographic divide was also clear in the secretary of state race, where Joliet Junior College Trustee Diane Harris dominated most of the state except for a handful of counties in the northwest, which were carried by Chicago’s Walter Adamczyk.
Bailey’s campaign now aims to avoid a repeat of 2022, when he lost to Pritzker by 12 points. He said his team is working to address past weaknesses and reach voters in every Chicago ward and district. Pritzker’s campaign has already launched ads labeling Bailey “too extreme for Illinois,” while Bailey’s team responded with ads questioning Pritzker’s wealth.
A major challenge remains Pritzker’s financial advantage. The governor has already put $25.5 million into his campaign this year after spending $300 million on his previous two races. Bailey said, “We don’t have to match JB Pritzker dollar for dollar. What we need is people to get registered to vote, to show up to vote.”
Bailey’s running mate, Cook County GOP Chair Aaron Del Mar, said healing within the party will take time, but emphasized the need for unity. Dabrowski, while not attending the breakfast, congratulated Bailey and pledged to help defeat Pritzker in November.
A Republican has not won a statewide race in Illinois since 2014, making Bailey’s campaign an uphill battle as the general election approaches.