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, which he lost to incumbent J. B. Pritzker. Bailey is running against incumbent U.S representative Mike Bost in the Republican primary for the 12th congressional district in the 2024 house elections. Early life and education Bailey was born in Louisville, Illinois, on March 17, 1966. He graduated from North Clay High School and earned an Associate of Science degree in Agricultural Production from Lake Land College. Political career Bailey, of Xenia, Illinois, was a member of the North Clay Board of Education. During his time on the school board, Bailey voted to raise property taxes every time one was proposed. In total, Bailey voted to increase property taxes by 81%. In a rare victory for candidates supported by Dan Proft's Liberty Principles PAC, Bailey defeated David Reis in the 2018 Republican primary. Bailey then defeated Democratic candidate Cynthia Given, the Secretary of the Richland County Democratic Party, by a margin of 76.14% to 23.86%. The 109th district at the time, located in the Illinois Wabash Valley, included all of Edwards, Jasper, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White counties and parts of Effingham and Lawrence counties.