Darren Bailey, the conservative former Illinois state senator who was badly defeated in his challenge to incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker last November, is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday.
Bailey will challenge five-term incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Bost, who represents the 12th District. Both Bost and Bailey were backed by former President Donald Trump in their respective races last year, with Trump hosting a rally for Bailey just before the primary.
Trump carried the 12th District in 2020 with 56% of the vote.
After being introduced by his wife, Bailey took the stage to “Hard Workin’ Man” by Brooks & Dunn and addressed a crowd of about 250 at his family farm in downstate Xenia.
“Our nation is at a crossroads,” Bailey said, announcing his run to represent the sprawling district that includes Carbondale, Marion and East St. Louis. “We find ourselves engulfed in a storm of woke nonsense.”
“We must fight back and reject the weak-kneed politicians who refuse to stand up and fight. ... It’s time to restore common sense to our governance.”
After last year’s July Fourth mass shooting in Highland Park, Bailey told residents to “move on” as police led a manhunt for the gunman. He later apologized in a Facebook video to his 111,000-plus followers.
“The shooter is still at large, so let’s pray for justice to prevail, and then let’s move on and let’s celebrate — celebrate the independence of this nation.” Bailey says in the video.
As Bailey announced his campaign, Highland Park held a day of remembrance for the victims of the shooting.
The Louisville, Illinois, native also temporarily lived in an apartment in the former John Hancock Center during last year’s governor’s race, during which he referred to Chicago as a “hellhole,” an “unruly child” and “the OK Corral.”
Bailey won the GOP gubernatorial nomination in a landslide but lost badly to incumbent Pritzker.
Bailey has continued to back Donald Trump through his recent legal troubles.
“It’s an honor to stand with this man,” Bailey wrote on Facebook above a photo of the two Republicans giving the thumbs-up sign at Trump’s country club in Bedminster, N.J., shortly after the former president pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges of mishandling classified documents.
In a statement Tuesday, Bost’s campaign manager, Myles Nelson, said it was a “shame” that Bailey would make a run and “divide conservatives.”
“Bailey is putting selfish opportunism and personal ambition ahead of the interests of Southern Illinois conservatives,” Nelson wrote. “Republican primary voters won’t forget that.”
Bost, a Marine Corp veteran who has represented the 34 southern Illinois counties since 2015, is the chair of the Veterans’ Affairs committee and is also on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Agriculture committees.
He won his last race with 75% of the vote against Democratic challenger Homer Markel, a jump from the 60% share of votes he received in the 2020 election. He hasn’t faced a primary opponent since 2018.
Contributing: Tina Sfondeles
