“Can a Republican win for governor? Can a downstate farmer win for governor?”

Those were the questions that Darren Bailey, a former state senator and current GOP gubernatorial candidate, had for a crowd of about 30 supporters Wednesday afternoon in Sterling.

The first question that Bailey had for the crowd received an enthusiastic “yes.”

“Are you ready to fire JB Pritzker?” he asked as he took the podium and faced his supporters.

Bailey and running mate Aaron Del Mar stopped in Whiteside County as part of their five-day “Take Back Illinois for the People” bus tour through the state.

This is the second run at the governor’s seat for Bailey, a grain and livestock farmer from Xenia in Clay County, Illinois. Bailey lost his bid for governor to Pritzker in 2022.

Bailey emphasized the need to get out the vote, and voter registration was available at the event for the March 17 primary. March 17 also is Bailey’s birthday.

“If we can get 60% turnout, we can win. There are more of us than there are of them,” Bailey said, referring to the need for Republicans to turn out and vote in the primary and in the Nov. 3 general election.

“Illinois can be restored. All we have to do, bare minimum, is show up and vote,” he said.

Bailey is running on a platform of affordability, tax reform and public safety. Bailey’s running mate this time around is Aaron Del Mar. Del Mar is a Palatine native and two-term chairman of the Cook County Republicans. Del Mar was the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine in the 2022 Illinois GOP gubernatorial primary. The pair lost the primary to Bailey and Stephanie Trussell.

“We are from two different parts of the state. I am from Cook County, he’s from Clay County. Darren’s been throwing a lot of rocks up my way for the last couple of years, and I’ve been grabbing them and throwing them right back down,” Del Mar said.

Del Mar said he was getting ready to add his name to the large GOP field of 2026 gubernatorial hopefuls when he heard from Bailey’s campaign manager. A conversation with Bailey and Bailey’s wife, Cindy, and a pep talk from Del Mar’s campaign manager convinced Del Mar to run with Bailey.

“He said, ‘Have you ever heard of one of the strongest conservatives in southern Illinois combining with the Cook County Republican chairman who grew up in the city of Chicago? Have you ever heard of that in Illinois politics?’ He said, ‘Can you imagine that – having a team that wouldn’t just govern Chicago but would be able to govern the whole state?’” Del Mar said.

Bailey spoke of his wish to strengthen public safety in Chicago and throughout the state, including ending the SAFE-T Act, the 2023 legislation that eliminated cash bail in Illinois.

Bailey also referenced his family’s own personal tragedy. In October, Bailey’s son Zachary, Zachary’s wife Kelsey and two of their children – daughter Vada Rose and son Samuel – died when the helicopter they were in, piloted by Zachary, crashed in Montana. Their son Finn, who was not on board the helicopter, survived.

Bailey said that he and his wife set out to drive to Montana.

During the drive, local police in Montana called them to inform them that the helicopter had crashed with no survivors.

“You just keep driving,” Bailey said after a pause.

He said the tragedy also showed that Illinoisans on both sides of the political aisle can come together. A fellow southern Illinois businessman and staunch Democrat called the Baileys while they were on the road.

“He said, ‘My private jet will meet you in Sioux City and fly you and Cindy to Montana,’” Bailey recalled.

When they reached the airport in Montana, a car was waiting to drive them to the ranch where their surviving grandson, 10-year-old Finn, was waiting.

“I called that man later, when we got home, and said, ‘What do I owe you?’ He said not a thing,” Bailey said. “There is good in Illinois. What we felt in those days, we knew something supernatural was holding us up and lifting us up, and by that same token, Illinois can be restored.”