Bailey, who lost to JB Pritzker in 2022, re-enters the governor’s race with new campaign strategy.
SPRINGFIELD - Darren Bailey plans to run for governor for a second time in 2026, Capitol News Illinois confirmed with sources close to the campaign.
The former state senator and farmer from Clay County would become the highest-profile Republican to enter the race, having lost the 2022 campaign against Gov. JB Pritzker and a close primary race in 2024 against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for a downstate congressional seat.
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
State Sen. Darren Bailey appears at a news conference alongside law enforcement officers during his 2022 campaign for governor. Bailey plans a second run for Illinois governor in 2026 with Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.
A formal announcement is expected next week. News of the planned announcement was first reported by NBC Chicago on Monday afternoon.
Bailey rose to statewide notoriety in 2020 as a state lawmaker who opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 emergency actions early in the pandemic. He capitalized on his opposition to Pritzker-imposed restrictions and ran for governor in 2022.
Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate
Bailey easily won the Republican primary that year with 57 percent of the vote. His campaign was indirectly helped by Pritzker, who ran TV ads during the primary calling Bailey “too conservative” for Illinois, which helped boost his credentials with Republican voters.
But Pritzker handily won a second term with 55 percent of the vote, defeating Bailey by 13 points in a race the Associated Press called just moments after polls closed. Pritzker spent millions on his campaign as Bailey struggled to compete despite receiving financial help from Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Bailey then tried to unseat Bost in 2024 in the 12th Congressional District but came up about 2,700 votes short. While he received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race, Trump endorsed Bost over Bailey in 2024.
New running mate
Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate, a source said.
Del Mar ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside Gary Rabine, receiving 6.5 percent of the vote.
He was elected to lead the Cook County Republican Party earlier this year, marking the second time he has held that role after previously leading the party in the early 2010s. He is also a member of the Illinois GOP’s State Central Committee and serves as Palatine Township’s highway commissioner.
Outside of politics, Del Mar has led a career in business and as an entrepreneur.
Bailey ran in 2022 with Stephanie Trussell, a conservative radio host from the suburbs.
Bailey’s message
It is unclear how Bailey plans to overcome his 2022 loss and what message he will take to voters in 2026.
He focused much of his 2022 campaign on crime and public safety, criticizing the SAFE-T Act and bashing Chicago as a “hellhole.”
The message failed to gain traction with voters, however, as Democrats focused heavily on abortion rights in the months after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Facebook has been Bailey’s primary communication platform to voters, and in recent weeks, he has focused many of his posts on Pritzker and ways he believes the governor has failed Illinois. Like other Republicans, Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s growing national profile.
“In 2026, we have the chance to stop him,” Bailey wrote in a post Monday. “But it will take ALL of us. Every Illinoisan who knows we deserve better. Together, we can end JB’s presidential ambitions before they even begin and finally turn Illinois around.”
Photo: Capitol News Illinois/Jerry Norwicki
Former state senator and unsuccessful candidate for governor and later Congress Darren Bailey is pictured at the 2023 Illinois State Fair during his unsuccessful congressional campaign.
Bailey would become at least the fourth candidate to enter the Republican primary for governor, which has been slowly taking shape this fall.
DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, Lake Forest resident Joe Severino, and conservative media writer Ted Dabrowski have also formed committees to run for governor.
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner released a statement Sunday saying he was also considering running.
Pritzker is running for a rare third term as governor amid speculation he will also run for president in 2028.
Candidates must turn their petitions in to the State Board of Elections by the end of October.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
AI is everywhere. Data centers produce massive noise pollution and use huge amounts of water. Renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. So why are AI giants choosing coal and gas over wind and solar?
AI is everywhere. But its powerful computing comes with a big cost to our planet, our neighborhoods, and our wallets.
AI servers are so power hungry that utilities are keeping coal-fired power plants that were slated for closure running to meet the needs of massive servers. And in the South alone, there are plans for 20 gigawatts of new natural-gas power plants over the next 15 years — enough to power millions of homes — just to feed AI’s energy needs.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash
AI server farms are massive energy users and the driving source of residential utility price increases. How far are we away from humans becoming the power source for data centers like in the movie The Matrix?
Multi-billion dollar companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta that previously committed to 100 percent renewable energy are going back to the Jurassic Age, using fossil fuels like coal and natural gas to meet their insatiable energy needs. Even nuclear power plants are being reactivated to meet the needs of power-hungry servers.
At a time when we need all corporations to reduce their climate footprint, carbon emissions from major tech companies in 2023 have skyrocketed to 150 percent of average 2020 values.
AI data centers also produce massive noise pollution and use huge amounts of water. Residents near data centers report that the sound keeps them awake at night and their taps are running dry.
AI’s demand for power is also raising electric rates for customers nationwide.
Many of us live in communities that either have or will have a data center, and we’re already feeling the effects. This is certainly true in Illinois, which has one of the highest numbers of data centers in the country. Many of these plants further burden communities already struggling with a lack of economic investment, access to basic resources, and exposure to high levels of pollution.
To add insult to injury, amid stagnant wages and increasing costs for food, housing, utilities, and consumer goods, AI’s demand for power is also raising electric rates for customers nationwide. To meet the soaring demand for energy that AI data servers demand, utilities need to build new infrastructure, the cost of which is being passed onto all customers.
Photo: Geoffrey Moffett/Unsplash
Prescient Data Centres in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Ireland has 134 data centers, operated by 28 providers, with the largest, a 326,803 sqft facility, run by Google.
A recent Carnegie Mellon study found that AI data centers could increase electric rates by 25 percent in Northern Virginia by 2030. And NPR recently reported that AI data centers were a key driver in electric rates increasing twice as fast as the cost of living nationwide — at a time when one in six households are struggling to pay their energy bills.
All of these impacts are only projected to grow. AI already consumes enough electricity to power 7 million American homes. By 2028, that could jump to the amount of power needed for 22 percent of all US households.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
AI could be powered by renewable energy that is non-polluting and works to reduce energy costs for us all. The leading AI companies, who have made significant climate pledges, must lead the way.
They must ensure that communities have a real voice in how and where AI data centers are built ...
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta have all made promises to the communities they serve to tackle climate and pollution. They all have climate pledges. And they have made significant investments in renewable energy in the past.
Those investments make sense, since renewables are the most affordable form of electricity. These companies have the know-how and the wealth to power AI with wind, solar, and batteries — which makes it all the more puzzling that they’re relying on fossil fuels to power the future.
If these corporate giants are to be good neighbors, they first need to be open and honest about the scope and scale of the problem and the solutions needed.
As these companies invest billions in technology for AI, they must re-up investments in renewables to power our future and protect our communities. They must ensure that communities have a real voice in how and where AI data centers are built — and that our communities aren’t sacrificed in the name of profits.
Dan Howells is the Climate Campaigns Director at Green America. Todd Larsen is Green America’s Executive Co-Director. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
TAGGED: AI energy consumption impact, Big Tech climate pledges, data centers water and noise pollution, renewable energy for AI servers, AI and rising electricity bills
Witch hunts in India kill thousands of women yearly. Superstition, greed and patriarchy fuel violence despite laws and activism.
Witch Hunt: A Ruthless Venture
Brutality grounded in superstition, social customs and community myths. Witch hunts, an atrocious phenomenon, still prevail across the globe as well as in India. A defamed reality showcasing misogyny cripples women’s individuality. The Human Rights Committee reports the deaths of around 2,500 women every year in the name of witch killings.
Instances of witch hunts have reached alarming levels in several Indian states, including Jharkhand, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Among certain communities, the concept of Dayan-pratha (one who practices black magic/witchcraft) traces back to primitive and medieval ages. Following misfortune or disease, some women are tortured, blamed and beaten to death. Usually, the ohja (community doctor) identifies the dayan, also called chudail, either by writing women’s names on the branch of a sal tree—wherever the branch withers marks the accused—or by wrapping slips with names into a bag placed inside an ant nest. The bag consumed by ants is believed to reveal the witch’s name.
These women are labeled a threat. They are assumed to have the “evil eye,” possess supernatural powers, and be destructive to society.
Women as Targets
Witchcraft accusations strike at the heart of women’s status, with the practice largely considered a “feminine affair.” The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) documented 2,468 murders related to witchcraft between 2001 and 2016. While often cloaked in superstition, most cases stem from economic and psychosocial motives:
Disputes over land and property, often instigated by family members out of greed.
Targeting widows, single women and the elderly.
Manipulation by bhopas (community healers) for selfish gain.
Retaliation after refusal of sexual advances.
Jharkhand, with its large tribal population, records the highest number of witch killings, followed closely by Madhya Pradesh. Average annual murder rates stand at 28.25% in Odisha, 31% in Jharkhand, 16.25% in Madhya Pradesh and 11% in Chhattisgarh.
Notably, even prominent women have been targeted. Debjani Borah, an athlete from Assam, was assaulted and accused of witchcraft. Wiccan priest Ipsita Roy Chakraverti was publicly criticized and branded a witch. Victims are often raped, beaten, stripped, paraded naked, banished from their villages and forced into financial compensation.
Primitive and Modern Dimensions
Witchcraft practices, with roots centuries deep, are found in tribal communities in western Bengal districts and parts of Jharkhand. A village in northeast India, Mayang, is popularly known as the “land of black magic.” Witchcraft is even referenced in the Rig Veda and is studied in some global universities.
Since the beginning of human societies, witchcraft beliefs have deeply impacted indigenous populations.
Paradoxically, witch hunts were also common in Europe during ancient and medieval times. By the mid-1950s, nearly 500 people had been executed as alleged witches. Informal “kangaroo courts” often carried out punishments through mob lynching.
Elsewhere, witch-related violence persists in Tanzania, rural China, parts of Africa and South America. Despite modern science and development, superstition continues to justify violence, transmitted from generation to generation. Victims suffer profound injustice, sorrow and hopelessness.
Sociological and Anthropological Views
Since the beginning of human societies, witchcraft beliefs have deeply impacted indigenous populations. Anthropologists see witch killings as attempts to explain random illness, misfortune and economic hardship. Income shocks and losses often fuel accusations, supporting the “commercial theory.” Competition can lead to labeling and persecution.
Sociologists connect witchcraft beliefs with anti-social behavior, punishing those who resist community norms. Denunciations frequently arise when patriarchal systems attempt to suppress matriarchal traditions.
Legal Measures
Though India lacks a central law specifically addressing witch hunts, several states have enacted legislation:
Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act, 2013
Assam Witch Hunting (Prevention, Prohibition and Protection) Bill, mandating jail terms or life imprisonment
Chhattisgarh Tonahi Pratadna Nivaran Act, 2005
Prevention of Witch Practices (DAAIN) Act, 2001
Bihar Prevention of Witch Hunting Act, 1999
Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil Practices) Act, 2024
Relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code also apply: Section 302 (murder), Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 376 (rape), and Section 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty).
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights condemns witch hunts as a cruel practice rooted in gender inequality.
Judicial interventions, however, remain inconsistent. In Moyna Murmu v. State of West Bengal, the petitioner was forced from her village. In Tula Devi v. State of Jharkhand, lack of evidence freed the accused. In Gaurav Jain v. State of Bihar, the court directed three assemblies to pass anti-witch-hunting laws.
A senior Guwahati High Court lawyer remarked: “People are illiterate and blinded in thought. Unless we make efforts to enlighten them about the laws and consequences of witch hunts, the practice will continue.”
Global Response
Globally, witch accusations represent severe human rights violations. The United Nations recognized the issue as a humanitarian crisis at its first conference on witch hunts. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that thousands of women are branded as witches and persecuted annually.
Women unaware of their rights remain vulnerable.
The Australian National University recently hosted a three-day conference addressing witchcraft killings. Amnesty International, the Red Cross and other organizations have campaigned for justice. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights condemns witch hunts as a cruel practice rooted in gender inequality.
Role of Civil Society
Informal organizations have been crucial:
The Witchcraft and Human Rights Network educates communities about laws.
Free Legal Aid in Jharkhand supports enforcement in villages and tribal areas.
ANANDI, a Gujarat-based group, campaigns for outlawing witch hunting.
Pudumi Rabha of Assam has rescued numerous women accused of witchcraft.
Human rights advocates and gender activists continue to fight against this violence.
Education as Change Agent
Education is essential to reform public opinion. Illiteracy fuels mob violence, regressive thought and superstition, especially among tribal populations. Branding women as witches has often been used to justify abuse by religious leaders exploiting the uneducated.
Empowerment and Awareness
Women unaware of their rights remain vulnerable. Legal awareness, uplifting marginalized groups, improving health services and using mass media campaigns can help dismantle witchcraft-related violence.
Witch hunts are not just crimes—they are regressive acts to control women’s autonomy, undermining democracy itself. Specialized anti-witchcraft laws, though important, cannot fully solve problems rooted in irrationality and patriarchy. Grassroots measures—such as empathy, community regulation, police protection and financial support—are essential.
As activist Pudumi Rabha urges: “Don’t be scared. Challenge the offenders and report to the police. The battle is not going to end anytime soon.”
In her spare time, Alphones Deka enjoys travelling to new places, maintaining a personal journal, and watching different series. The thing that brings her the most joy is spending time with my pets and staying in touch with friends.
TAGGED: witch hunts in India today, superstition and gender violence, women's rights and witch killings, tribal witchcraft practices India, legal measures against witch hunts
by Ben Szalinski
