By Violet Miller, Mohammad Samra
Darren Bailey, the conservative former Illinois state senator who was badly defeated in his challenge to incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker last November, is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday.
Bailey will challenge five-term incumbent GOP Rep. Mike Bost, who represents the 12th District. Both Bost and Bailey were backed by former President Donald Trump in their respective races last year, with Trump hosting a rally for Bailey just before the primary.
Trump carried the 12th District in 2020 with 56% of the vote.
Bailey won the GOP gubernatorial nomination in a landslide but lost badly to incumbent Pritzker.
In a statement Tuesday, Bost’s campaign manager, Myles Nelson, said it was a “shame” that Bailey would make a run and “divide conservatives.”
“Bailey is putting selfish opportunism and personal ambition ahead of the interests of Southern Illinois conservatives,” Nelson wrote. “Republican primary voters won’t forget that.”
Bost, a Marine Corp veteran who has represented the 34 southern Illinois counties since 2015, is the chair of the Veterans’ Affairs committee and is also on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Agriculture committees.
He won his last race with 75% of the vote against Democratic challenger Homer Markel, a jump from the 60% share of votes he received in the 2020 election. He hasn’t faced a primary opponent since 2018.
Contributing: Tina Sfondeles
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