Republican Darren Bailey to face Pritzker in Illinois gubernatorial race this November

The pair previously faced off in 2022, when Pritzker defeated Bailey by nearly 13 percentage points. The pair will now have a rematch in November.

Published: March 17, 2026 10:12pm

Former Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, setting up another face-off against Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who won his party's nomination for a third term.

The pair previously faced off in 2022, when Pritzker defeated Bailey by nearly 13 percentage points. The pair will now have a rematch in November. Pritzker was uncontested in his bid for the Democratic nomination. 

Bailey won his party's nomination with 50% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, defeating challengers Ted Dabrowski, Sheriff James Mendrick and entrepreneur Rick Heidner. Dabrowski finished in second with 31% of the vote.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. 

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