Bailey Wins West-Central Illinois Vote in GOP Primary

Downstate candidate Darren Bailey faces uphill battle in Chicago after winning rural counties

Mar. 18, 2026 at 3:52am

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Darren Bailey, a former state senator and farmer from Clay County, won the Republican gubernatorial primary in west-central and rural Illinois, but struggled to gain traction with GOP voters in Chicago. While Bailey secured an average of 77% of the Republican vote in several downstate counties, he lost Cook County to conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski by 16 points. Bailey acknowledged Chicago will be a challenge and has paired up with a lieutenant governor candidate, Aaron Del Mar, who is the Cook County Republican chairman, in an effort to bridge the geographic divide.

Why it matters

The Republican primary results highlight the deep urban-rural divide in Illinois politics. Bailey's strong performance in west-central and rural areas, coupled with his struggles in Chicago, foreshadows the challenges he may face in the general election against incumbent Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, who has historically performed well in the state's population centers.

The details

Darren Bailey won the Republican gubernatorial primary, securing an average of 77% of the Republican vote in several west-central Illinois counties, including Morgan, Scott, Brown, Cass, Pike, and Greene. However, in Cook County, which includes Chicago, Bailey lost to conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski by 16 points. Other candidates, such as gambling mogul Rick Heidner and DuPage Sheriff James Mendrick, were unable to break past 7% of the average vote count in west-central Illinois, but saw a jump in support in Cook County, where they received around 9% and 11.5% of the vote, respectively.

  • The Republican primary election was held on March 18, 2026.

The players

Darren Bailey

A former state senator and farmer from Clay County who won the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Ted Dabrowski

A conservative researcher who defeated Bailey in the Republican primary in Cook County.

Aaron Del Mar

The Cook County Republican chairman who is running as Bailey's lieutenant governor candidate.

JB Pritzker

The incumbent Democratic Governor of Illinois, who Bailey will face in the general election.

Rick Heidner

A gambling mogul who ran in the Republican primary and received around 11.5% of the vote in Cook County.

James Mendrick

The DuPage Sheriff who ran in the Republican primary and received around 9% of the vote in Cook County.

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What they’re saying

“We talked about our vision, of what we could do, if you took one of the strongest conservatives from southern Illinois and had him team up with the Cook County Republican chairman up in Chicago — what would that look like?”

— Aaron Del Mar, Lieutenant Governor Candidate (myjournalcourier.com)

“Being from downstate Illinois meant I needed to work with someone from Chicago.”

— Darren Bailey (myjournalcourier.com)

What’s next

The general election between Darren Bailey and incumbent Governor JB Pritzker will take place on November 5, 2026.

The takeaway

The Republican primary results in Illinois highlight the deep urban-rural divide in the state's politics, with Darren Bailey performing strongly in west-central and rural areas but struggling to gain traction with GOP voters in Chicago. Bailey's pairing with a Chicago-based lieutenant governor candidate suggests an effort to bridge this geographic divide, but the general election against the well-established Pritzker will likely be an uphill battle.