Illinois Elections

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams is projecting a low voter turnout for the state's primary election on Tuesday, May 16.

Statewide vote returns for Illinois as they come in.

Former state Sen. and failed GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey is pictured at his election night party in 2022. He is running for Congress in Illinois’ 12th District against incumbent Mike Bost.

Bailey vs. Bost congressional race among Ill. GOP primaries to watch

Peter Hancock

SPRINGFIELD – The March 19 primaries in Illinois may seem anticlimactic to those who are only interested in presidential politics. But further down the ballot there are still a number of competitive races to watch, including several in downstate Illinois where Republican politics has increased its dominance in many areas.

Congressional candidate Darren Bailey, left, campaigns with state Rep. Adam Niemerg at a local restaurant meet-and-greet, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Casey, Ill. Bailey, a former state senator and 2022 Republican nominee for governor, is running in the March 19th primary to unseat fellow GOP Congressman Mike Bost, a five-term incumbent who has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, in Illinois' 12th District, which encompasses the bottom one-third of Illinois.

Government & Politics

Southern Ill. GOP congressional candidates race to win the hearts, minds of Trump conservatives

John O'Connor

CASEY, Ill. (AP) — Former state Sen. Darren Bailey is challenging five-term Rep. Mike Bost in the March 19 Republican primary for Illinois' 12th District. Bailey had former President Donald Trump's endorsement when he was the 2022 GOP nominee for governor. But in this race, Trump chose Bost. It's a race to win the hearts and minds of true Trump conservatives.