Darren Bailey

Darren Bailey (born March 17, 1966) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate for the 55th District and previously a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 109th District in Southern Illinois. Widely described by news outlets as a far-right politician, he was the Republican nominee for the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat JB Pritzker. Bailey is once again the Republican nominee in the 2026 election.

Bailey ran in the Republican primary for the 12th congressional district in the 2024 U.S. House elections, losing to incumbent Mike Bost.