Illinois election day: Darren Bailey projected to win Republican primary for governor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- Darren Bailey is projected to win the Republican Illinois Governor nomination, setting up a rematch with Governor JB Pritzker in November.
This is a breaking news update. The following is from an earlier report.
Former Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey is running it back in an attempt to win the Republican nomination for Illinois governor, four years after he was soundly beaten by Governor JB Pritzker.
Bailey is up against Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.
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Tuesday afternoon, Bailey took a moment to pray with his wife and his team inside Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom in Springfield, moments after running through his election night plans.
"There just seems to be an upbeat mood that there's a different day coming for Illinois," Bailey said.
It is a day that Bailey hopes will see him as the Republican nominee to supplant Governor Pritzker as the Chief Executive of Illinois.
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"Illinois cannot withstand another four years of JB Pritzker," Bailey said. "This man is running for president on day one, if we allow him to be re-elected, and Illinois needs something different."
One of Bailey's competitors for the Republican nomination, Ted Dabrowski, was out casting his vote on election day, encouraging other Illinoisans to do the same. As Bailey did, he took direct aim at Governor Pritzker.
"Under Governor Pritzker, we're a bottom five state in economic growth in job opportunity, job creation," Ted Dabrowski "We should be a top five state, and that's why we're running."
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Also on the ballot trying to earn the Republican nomination for governor is Rick Heidner, a real-estate developer from Barrington, and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. Mendrick promises a closer look at the state's finances, saying Illinois has a spending problem, while Heidner has bashed Illinois democratic policies, specifically how businesses are taxed.
After the results come in Tuesday night, we'll see if it's Bailey versus Governor Pritzker again in November, or if a new face will win the republican nomination for governor.
