SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Sen. Darren Bailey is projected to win the Republican nomination for Illinois governor, and will face off against sitting Gov. JB Pritzker in November.

Bailey defeated five other Republicans to win the nomination.

Bailey raised his statewide profile during the pandemic by opposing Pritzker’s COVID-19 measures. He sued Pritzker over a stay-at-home order the governor issued and was escorted off the floor of the Legislature for refusing to wear a mask.

“We’re going to send a message to the Republican establishment that we will not be bullied into sacrificing our principles to elect their candidates,” he told a crowd at a campaign stop in rural Illinois this month.

From the get-go, Bailey faced criticism over whether he could attract voters from the suburbs, but most of the early results had a strong showing from the “collar counties.”

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump endorsed Bailey during a visit to Quincy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.