Darin LaHood

President Donald Trump posted a message of support to several Illinois Republicans running for office in the 2026 midterms, with one notable exception.

Among those receiving Trump’s seal of approval was former State Sen. Darren Bailey, who is aiming to try unseating Gov. JB Pritzker in a rematch of their 2022 election.

Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

TO THE GREAT PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS, GET OUT AND VOTE FOR: – Darren Bailey for Governor – Mike Bost for U.S. Congress (IL-12)– Mary Miller for U.S. Congress (IL-15)– Darin LaHood for U.S. Congress (IL-16) These Great Patriots have my Complete and Total Endorsement — They will…

Trump also endorsed Bailey in the 2022 election, though Pritzker ultimately won that race by more than 500,000 votes.

Trump had previously announced his support of Bailey during an interview with media earlier this year, but backed Bailey again, along with Reps. Mike Bost, Mary Miller and Darin LaHood in a post on X over the weekend.

“These great patriots have my complete and total endorsement. They will never let you down,” the president said.

Bailey replied to the tweet with a simple message of thanks.

There was one notable omission from that list however, as Trump did not name former Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy, who is running for the state’s open Senate seat against Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

According to Capitol News Illinois, Tracy said at the Illinois State Fair over the summer that he “would certainly welcome the endorsement of the president of the United States,” but that he wasn’t actively seeking it.

Tracy is seen as a significant underdog in the race, with no Illinois Republican having won a statewide election since former Gov. Bruce Rauner won his race in 2014.

Most national outlets have Illinois as being safely within the Democratic column in this year’s Senate race, including RealClearPolitics and the Cook Political Report, both of which have Illinois classified as “Solid Democrat” in the midterm elections.

In terms of Congressional races the two websites are also confident in the parties holding serve in Illinois, with the 14 seats currently held by Democrats all in the “Solid” column for the party, while the three incumbent Republicans are also considered to be in “Solid” seats.

As for the governor’s race, both websites have classified it as “solid Democrat,” with Pritzker favored to win a third term in office.