Updated on: March 17, 2026 / 9:59 PM EDT / CBS Chicago
CBS News projects that the 2026 Illinois GOP primary for governor was won by Darren Bailey, setting up a rematch with incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker was unopposed in the Democratic primary and is running for a third term with Christian Mitchell after Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton launched a campaign for Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.
Pritzker’s national profile has risen as a frequent critic of former President Trump. In March he released an ad highlighting his opposition to last fall’s federal immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, known as Operation Midway Blitz. In his victory remarks Tuesday, Pritzker directed much of his criticism at the former president, saying in part that “grifters of corruption and selfishness, purveyors of bigotry and hatred, have taken control of the White House and Congress,” and accusing federal officials of using armed forces in Illinois in ways that terrorized residents. He praised Illinoisans’ resistance even as other states “capitulated.”
Bailey, a former state representative and state senator and a farmer from southern Illinois, named Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate. Bailey first rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic by opposing state mask mandates. He won the Republican primary in 2022 but lost to Pritzker in the general election by 13 percentage points. In 2024, Bailey challenged U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the Republican primary and was defeated.
Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s leadership on economic issues, blaming him for rising costs and calling him “just another billionaire who has never once felt the pain he’s inflicted.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.