Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) walks into the Illinois State Fair followed by his running mate Stephanie Trussell and wife, Cindy, after driving in on a tractor in 2022. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

With a month and a half until candidate filing begins for the March primary, the Republican Party’s hopes to unseat statewide elected Democrats are facing a major roadblock: a lack of candidates.