Darren Bailey is staying in the Illinois Republican primary race for governor following the deaths of his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in a helicopter crash, the former downstate legislator announced Monday.

In a video posted to social media about two weeks after the tragedy, Bailey said he was continuing his campaign “not for politics, but for every family trying to make it in a state that’s lost its way.”

“The last two weeks have been the hardest days of our lives,” Bailey said in the three-minute video alongside his wife, Cindy. “But your prayers, your messages, and your love have carried us, and we are so grateful.”

Bailey’s son Zachary was flying the helicopter that crashed in Montana on Oct. 22 . He died along with his wife, Kelsey, and two of their children, 12-year

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