Darren Bailey may announce primary challenge against Rep. Mike Bost by July 4.

2022 Illinois Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Darren Bailey to Challenge Rep. Mike Bost

Darren Bailey, the 2022 Illinois Republican gubernatorial nominee, is expected to announce a primary challenge to Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) as soon as July 4, according to multiple sources.

Four sources told the Washington Examiner that Bailey, a former Illinois state representative who ran for governor in 2022 but lost by 12 points to Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), is planning to run for Congress in Illinois’s 12th Congressional District against Bost, the incumbent Republican. Three of the sources said the announcement would come on July 4.

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The Washington Examiner obtained an invitation to a July 4 party at Bailey’s family farm. While there is no mention in the invitation of a campaign announcement, two sources said he plans to announce his campaign at the event.

“I’m 90% sure Darren is running, and if he does, I am confident he will win our district because he genuinely cares about and represents southern Illinois,” a source close to Bailey said. “No one will work or fight harder on the campaign trail or in Congress than Darren Bailey.”

Both Bailey and Bost are staunch conservatives and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The two were endorsed by the former president in their respective 2022 election bids. In January 2021, Bost objected to President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in support of Trump.

Bailey talked to the former president in April about a primary challenge to Bost, who has served in Congress since 2015, according to Politico.

Bost has $648,894 on hand as of April 1, according to Federal Election Commission records. He has not had a primary challenger since his first reelection bid in 2018. He won his last general election in 2022 by 50 points. His district is an R+5, according to the Cook Political Report.

If Bailey does run, it will set off a contentious primary race between two very conservative candidates. Trump’s endorsement will likely play a huge role in the primary if he decides to get involved and endorse in the race. There are no Democrats who have announced campaigns for the seat.

Earlier on Monday, another former Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate filed to run for Congress, Dan Cox of Maryland. Cox lost his bid for Maryland governor by 32 points.

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Bailey never really gained traction against Pritzker, which showed in his double-digit loss. Democrats also saw him as the weakest candidate to take on the incumbent governor and funded ads that bolstered Bailey so they could have a better shot at winning. Combined, Pritzker’s campaign and the Democratic Governors Association dropped $35 million on ads in the Republican primary, hitting Bailey’s more centrist primary opponent.

“After Democrats spent tens of millions of dollars to drag Darren Bailey’s corpse across the primary finish line last year, it’s disappointing to see he thinks he belongs in Congress,” a former Illinois elected Republican said.

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