Governor of Illinois
Darren Bailey
Farmer; former state senator (55th District, 2021–2023)R
- Race
- Governor of Illinois
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- JB Pritzker (D); Collin Corbett (Independent)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did2 statements · 0 votes
It’s time to void the FOID and restore people’s God-given constitutional rights.
Stricter gun laws
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| JB Pritzker D | incumbent |
| Darren Bailey R | challenger |
| Collin Corbett Independent | challenger |
Running with Lt. Gov. candidate Aaron Del Mar, Cook County Republican Party chair. Won the March Republican primary with 53.3%.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
It’s time to void the FOID and restore people’s God-given constitutional rights.
As a state senator filed legislation in April 2021 to eliminate the state's FOID card program; also reported as signing onto a bill letting active-military applicants under 18 buy firearms without parental consent.[5][6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Darren Bailey is a southern Illinois farmer and former Republican state representative (2019–2021) and state senator (2021–2023). He is the Republican nominee for governor for the second time, after losing to JB Pritzker in 2022, and his campaign focuses on property taxes, utility costs, public safety and education.[1][2][3][4]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Bailey was born in Louisville, Illinois, in 1966, and is a third-generation farmer; he earned an associate degree in agricultural production from Lake Land College.[1][2] He and his sons operate Bailey Family Farm, and he and his wife, Cindy, who have been married 39 years, live on the family farm near Louisville.[2] The couple founded a private Christian school, and he served 17 years on the North Clay Board of Education, 12 of them as president.[2] They have four children, according to Wikipedia, and his campaign says they have thirteen grandchildren.[1][2]
Bailey was elected to the Illinois House from the 109th District in 2018 and took office in January 2019.[1][2] He won the 55th District seat in the Illinois Senate in 2020 and served there from January 2021, as the Republican spokesperson on the Agriculture Committee.[1] His campaign says he refused a taxpayer-funded pension as a legislator.[2]
Bailey was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022 and lost to Pritzker.[1] He won the Republican primary again on March 17, 2026, with Aaron Del Mar of Cook County as his running mate.[1][8]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- voteVoted against the SAFE-T Act, the criminal justice package that abolished cash bail.[6]
- voteVoted against legalizing recreational cannabis and more casinos.[6]
- billChief sponsor in the Senate of one bill that became law to help recruit firefighters; as a House member, primary sponsor of just one enacted law, which increased fines for illegally passing school buses.[6]
- legalSued Gov. Pritzker in April 2020 over the extension of his COVID-19 stay-at-home order; a judge granted a temporary restraining order that applied to Bailey only.[9]
In their own words
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/darren-bailey
Compare all 3 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Darren Bailey · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Meet Darren · Bailey for Illinois campaign · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 3.Issues · Bailey for Illinois campaign · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 4.Bailey trying to stay on message as attacks from Pritzker mount · Capitol News Illinois · 2026-10-07 News report
- 5.Sen. Bailey Files Legislation to Eliminate FOID Cards · Radio Link (Bailey press release, 2021-04-07) · 2021-04-07 News report
- 6.Examining The Record: Darren Bailey pushed to fix the state's ills, but critics call him ineffective · WBEZ / IPM Newsroom · 2022-10-01 News report
- 7.Bailey trying to stay on message as attacks from Pritzker mount · Capitol News Illinois · 2026-10-07 News report
- 8.Bailey Declared Winner of Republican Primary in Illinois Governor's Race · WTTW News · 2026-03-17 News report
- 9.Darren Bailey · Wikipedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
- 10.Issues · Bailey for Illinois campaign · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words