Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Darren Bailey

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: October 23, 2025

Discover the career path of Darren Bailey, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Darren Bailey is an American politician known for his conservative stances. He served as a Republican member of both the Illinois House of Representatives (109th District) and the Illinois Senate (55th District). Described as far-right, Bailey secured the Republican nomination for the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election but was defeated by the incumbent Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2018: Improved on Bruce Rauner's 2018 performance

Darren Bailey's performance in the 2022 election improved upon Bruce Rauner's 2018 performance by around 4%. He also flipped four counties that Pritzker had won in 2018.

2018: Defeated David Reis in Republican primary

In 2018, Darren Bailey defeated David Reis in the Republican primary, with support from Dan Proft's Liberty Principles PAC. He then defeated Democratic candidate Cynthia Given in the general election.

July 8, 2019: Announced run for Illinois Senate

On July 8, 2019, Darren Bailey announced his intention to run for the Illinois Senate seat.

March 17, 2020: Won Republican primary

On March 17, 2020, Darren Bailey won the Republican primary for the Illinois Senate seat.

February 22, 2021: Announced candidacy for governor

On February 22, 2021, Darren Bailey announced his candidacy for governor in 2022.

December 13, 2021: Announced Stephanie Trussell as running mate

On December 13, 2021, Darren Bailey announced that Stephanie Trussell, a former WLS-AM 890 talk radio host, would be his running mate for lieutenant governor.

2022: Candidacy for governor

In 2022, Darren Bailey ran for governor.

2022: Lost gubernatorial election

In 2022, Darren Bailey, as the Republican nominee, lost the Illinois gubernatorial election to the incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker.

2023: Announced run against Mike Bost

In 2023, Darren Bailey announced that he would run against incumbent U.S. Representative Mike Bost in the Republican primary for the 12th congressional district in 2024.

March 19, 2024: Lost primary to Bost

On March 19, 2024, Darren Bailey lost the primary to Mike Bost.

2024: Narrow loss in U.S. House primary

In 2024, Darren Bailey ran in the Republican primary for the 12th congressional district in the U.S. House elections, narrowly losing to incumbent Mike Bost.