Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) defeated Republican challenger Darren Bailey to remain Illinois’ 43rd governor.
The Associated Press called the race at 7:00 p.m. — right after the polls closed — after exit polls showed a dominant win for Pritzker.
Abortion became a major issue during the race; after the Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade this year, Illinois found itself one of the only states in the Midwest to provide safe and legal access to the procedure. With a Democrat still serving as governor, that trend will likely continue, especially given Pritzker went out of his way to preserve abortion rights long before Roe was overturned.
Bailey previously served as a state representative from Illinois’ 109th district from 2019-2021. Bailey was repeatedly slammed for his far-right positions during the campaign, including downplaying the Highland Park shooting and comparing abortion to the Holocaust.