In the so-called “battle among billionaires” for Illinois governor, Darren Bailey appears to have won the GOP nomination, NBC News projected Tuesday night.
Bailey led the six-candidate field with almost 49% of the vote at 8:25 p.m. CST with 27% of the projected vote in. Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin was in second place, behind by almost 30 percentage points (19.5% of the vote). NBC News made the projection at 8:08 p.m.
A freshman state senator in the 55th district, Bailey was still significantly behind the frontrunner, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, last month.
A May poll from WGN-TV, The Hill and Emerson College showed Irvin — backed by $50 million from billionaire Ken Griffin — with 24.1% of the vote. Bailey held 19.8%.
Polls this month, however, showed a “potentially seismic shift,” WBEZ reported. The report from Public Policy Polling showed Bailey pulling ahead to a 15-point lead; 32% of the vote against Irvin’s 17%.
Polling from the conservative Trafalgar Group was more striking. They placed Bailey 17 percentage points ahead of Irvin, with only 16% of respondents undecided.
At a rally last Saturday, where U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) referred to Roe v. Wade being overturned as a “historic victory for white life” (a spokesman said she mixed up her words), Bailey received a coveted endorsement from Donald Trump, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“I’ve made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump,” Bailey said.
Bailey will face incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November.