PEORIA, Ill. — Just days after earning former President Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” during a campaign rally for Republicans at the fairgrounds in Mendon, Illinois, new GOP front runner Darren Bailey is being declared the winner of the crowded Republican gubernatorial primary race.
The Associated Press has issued the call less than two hours since vote counting began statewide and with roughly 46 percent of precincts reporting.
At that point, Bailey had tallied close to 147,000 votes, topping his nearest challenger, Jesse Sullivan, by 100,000 votes.
This result comes in the wake of a bruising GOP gubernatorial primary campaign which saw local TV and radio channels flooded with negative advertising from all sides, including a wide range of accusations surrounding alleged corruption and voting records on tax increases, among other slings and arrows.
Bailey’s likely election victory is also set upon the broader backdrop of a Republican Party in some turmoil as revelations about the party’s leader and his role in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack continue rolling out of the Congressional subcommittee dedicated to investigating the characters and events surrounding that day.
Certain factions in the U.S. are leaning into the notion the former President may end up under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for committing crimes related to the Capitol riots.
Despite this, many Trump-backed political candidates, now including Bailey, have notched key wins in state and local races all across the country.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
