‘Downstate farmer’ plows through the field — Darren Bailey handily wins six-candidate GOP governor’s race

State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, and his wife Cindy wave as they walk on stage to speak at an election night rally at the Thelma Keller Convention Center in Effingham after Bailey won the Republican gubernatorial primary election, Tuesday night. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

EFFINGHAM, Ill. — Darren Bailey, the MAGA-loving, Bible quoting grain farmer and state senator from downstate Illinois will face Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the November election — thanks in part to an odd and historic pairing of support from former President Donald Trump, Lake Forest mega donor Dick Uihlein and Democrats such as Pritzker himself. 

With 96% of precincts counted statewide, Bailey had 57.4% of the vote compared to 15.7% for downstate venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan and 15% for third-place candidate Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.