4 Members of Illinois GOP Gubernatorial Candidate’s Family Killed in Helicopter Crash

Four members of Darren Bailey’s family—his son, daughter-in-law, and two of their children—died in the crash, in Montana.

Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey speaks to voters during a campaign stop in Athens, Ill., on June 14, 2022. John O'Connor/AP Photo

Four family members of former Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois in the 2026 general election, were killed in a helicopter crash in Ekalaka, Montana, on Oct. 22.

Bailey’s son Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey, 12-year-old granddaughter Vada Rose, and 7-year-old grandson Samuel died in the crash, according to a statement from Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign. The campaign described the incident as an accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash.

One of Zachary Bailey’s children, 10-year-old son Finn, was not in the helicopter at the time and is alive. The Bailey campaign’s statement on social media included a picture of the family.

“Darren and Cindy are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss,” the campaign wrote. “The Baileys ... ask for privacy as they grieve and hold their loved ones close during this difficult time.”

Statements of condolence were offered by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and the Illinois Republican Party chairwoman, Kathy Salvi.

“I cannot imagine losing a child, losing two grandchildren, and what they must be going through,” Pritzker said.

“Please join us in keeping the Bailey family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time,” Salvi said in a statement published on the state party’s website.

Bailey is running in a contested Republican primary for the party’s nomination in the gubernatorial race. His leading opponents are DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick (R) and Ted Dabrowski, who is president of conservative news website Wirepoints.

Bailey was the Republican nominee for governor in the 2022 general election, which he lost to Pritzker by a margin of 12 percentage points. Illinois, despite its Republican-leaning southern counties, is known for being a Democratic party stronghold due to Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The 2026 general election is rated as safely Democratic by most political observers.

Bailey served in the state Senate for one term, from 2021 to 2023, and in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. He did not seek reelection to the House while running for governor in 2022. In 2024, Bailey ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 12th Congressional District of Illinois, covering the entire southern end of the state, losing to the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.