EFFINGHAM — Illinois State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, the downstate lawmaker who gained celebrity and notoriety by challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 emergency powers, announced Monday that he will run for governor in 2022.

Bailey, greeted by a raucous crowd who packed an Effingham ballroom, left little doubt as to the campaign he will run, walking out following an announcer blaring "Are you ready to rumble?" as if before a big fight. 

Bailey, who operates a family farm in Clay County, was elected to the Illinois House in 2019, first defeating Republican incumbent David Reis in a primary before coasting to victory in the general election. In 2021, he was elected to the Illinois Senate to replace the retiring Dale Righter. 

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His Senate district encompasses all or parts of Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White counties.

Though he’s only been in state government a short time, Bailey has quickly established himself as one of the state’s most outspoken conservatives and a vocal opponent of Pritzker.

For many, he became the face of the resistance to Pritzker’s emergency orders, challenging the governor’s ability to continually extend the orders beyond the initial 30-day time period. He successfully won an injunction in April that temporarily exempted him from the governor’s stay-at-home order.

He, along with attorney Thomas DeVore, became popular draws at various “Reopen Illinois” rallies held during the spring and summer of 2020. Makeshift signs that read “Bailey for Governor” were not uncommon.

Though his legal challenges have been dismissed once moved outside his home county, they've successfully kept Bailey in the headlines. 

Bailey is the second Republican to enter the race to challenge Pritzker. Last week, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, announced his candidacy. Gary Rabine, a suburban Chicago businessman with ties to former President Donald Trump, has also expressed interest in the race.

Republican National Committee Finance Chair and Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts has also been linked to the race. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Chanahan, has said he’s "not going to rule anything out," but that he does not "have any plans for anything higher in Illinois" in 2022.

Attending Bailey’s announcement included U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, state Reps. Chris Miller, R-Oakland; Adam Neimerg, R-Dieterich; and Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, all longtime allies and members of the unofficial group known as the “Eastern Bloc.”