History of Darren Bailey in Timeline

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

March 17, 1966: Darren Bailey Born

On March 17, 1966, Darren Bailey was born. He later became an American politician, serving as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives.

Others born on this day/year

2017: Compared abortion to the Holocaust

In 2017, Darren Bailey said in a Facebook video that "the attempted extermination of the Jews of World War II doesn't even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion since its legalization".

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.

2019: Sponsored resolution to separate Chicago from Illinois

In 2019, Darren Bailey and seven other Republicans sponsored a resolution calling for the City of Chicago to become its own state. Later, with his announcement for governor, he backtracked on the resolution.

March 17, 2020: Won Republican primary

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

April 2020: Sued Governor Pritzker over stay-at-home order

In April 2020, Darren Bailey sued Governor J. B. Pritzker, claiming that the COVID-19 stay-at-home order extension unfairly affected residents of Clay County. A judge granted a temporary restraining order which only applied to Bailey. Pritzker stated he would appeal the order and characterized Bailey's lawsuit as a "cheap political stunt".

May 20, 2020: Removed from Illinois House for refusing to wear mask

On May 20, 2020, the Illinois House voted to remove Darren Bailey from its session for refusing to wear a mask.

2020: Refused to acknowledge Biden's victory

Following the 2020 presidential election, Darren Bailey refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden fairly defeated Donald Trump.

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.

July 4, 2022: Controversial statement after Highland Park shooting

On July 4, 2022, following the Highland Park Parade Shooting, Darren Bailey stated on a livestream "let's move on and let's celebrate - celebrate the independence of this nation". He received backlash and later apologized. He also received over $50M in support from Dick Uihlein for his gubernatorial campaign.

2022: Praised Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

In 2022, Darren Bailey praised the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He supports a statewide ban on abortion except in cases where the mother's life is in danger.

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.

2022: Man arrested for violent threats

In 2022, a man was arrested for making violent threats against Darren Bailey.

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.