BLOOMINGTON ( 25News Now ) - Xenia native, farmer, and Republican Darren Bailey aims to beat Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the next gubernatorial election.

He faced Pritzker in the 2022 election and lost by 13 points.

Bailey is a former Illinois State Senator for the 55th district and a State Representative for the 109th district in Southern Illinois. His running mate is Aaron Del Mar, who is the current chairman of the Cook County GOP .

Del Mar was the youngest councilman ever for the Village of Palatine at age 29.

Bailey said he has learned from his last attempt at the state executive office, and plans to focus on counties he didn’t reach during his first campaign.

He considers his core constituency anyone “suffering from Illinois politics.”

Bailey gained recognition during the 2020 CO

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