Southern Illinois News

A Republican state senator said he will run for governor in 2022.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 executive orders, potentially setting the stage for a campaign based on those policies in an effort to unseat the Democratic incumbent.

Bailey, who publicized his decision on Feb. 22, has also sued the governor over his use of emergency powers.

In a statement reported by ABC 7, the senator said that he plans to "reform a state that has been broken and abandoned by career politicians who have lost touch with the needs of hardworking Illinoisans."

He is a third-generation farmer who owns and operates Bailey Family Farm with his sons. According to the senator's website, Bailey for Illinois, they grow corn, wheat, and soybeans. His website also notes that he refuses a legislative pension and that Illinois residents' tax relief is one of his top priorities.

"Illinois is in trouble. We have a massive deficit, some of the highest tax burdens in the entire nation, and skyrocketing unemployment," Bailey said. "Add to that career politicians who have used a pandemic to destroy our local economy."

Last May, Bailey did not wear a mask on the House Floor and was removed. Wearing a mask was mandatory according to House and Senate rules established after the pandemic began.

Bailey is a member of the Louisville Rotary Club, Illinois Independent business Federation, the Illinois Wheat Association, National and State Corn Growers Association, and a lifetime member of the Farm Bureau.

Senator Bailey isn't the only Illinois Republican who will seek the governor's office in 2022. On Feb. 15, Paul Schimpf, a former Senator from the 58th District, also announced his candidacy for governor. Schimpf was a member of the state senate from 2017-2021.

The Republican primary for Illinois governor will be March 15.