2024 IL-12 GOP Congressional Primary

The 2024 GOP Primary for Illinois 12th Congressional district, a contest between Incumbent Mike Bost, and State Senator/2022 GOP Gov Nominee Darren Bailey was a close and hard fought win for the GOP Establishment in one Illinois 3 Safe GOP Seats

In redistricting Bost, who represented the old South-western Illinois Obama-Obama-Trump 12th, gained extremely conservative turf on the southeastern Side of the state, where Hard right State Senator Darren Bailey was from.

Here, after Losing the 2022 Gubernatorial election, Bailey set his sights on congress, Charging that Bost was too moderate for the new district and that it needed a conservative with strong bona fides to represent it.

During this primary Bost—who self describes as a “governing conservative”—successfully ran to his right, utilizing the received Trump endorsement in order to stave off the stiff challenge from the Far-right Matt Gaetz/Mary Miller endorsed Bailey

The end result ended up being a less idiological than Regional Primary—with Bost winning by 2.9% and doing best in the areas of the old 12th that he represented, and doing worst in the areas that were added to the district, especially around Darren Bailey's State Senate District.