Results: Democratic incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker defeats Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey in Illinois gubernatorial election

• Gov. J.B. Pritzker defeated GOP state Sen. Darren Bailey in Illinois' gubernatorial race.
• This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022.

Democratic incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey in Illinois' gubernatorial election.

Illinois' gubernatorial candidates

Pritzker currently serves as the governor of Illinois. He was elected in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner. The heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker is a billionaire and has pumped $152 million of his own money into his reelection campaign.

According to Forbes, the Democratic governor is the wealthiest politician in the US, with an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion.

Bailey, Pritzker's challenger, currently represents the 55th District in the Illinois State Senate. Prior to being elected state senator, Bailey served a single term in the Illinois House of Representatives. He advanced from the six-way Republican primary with well over half of the vote.

Polls closed in the state at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Illinois' voting history

Illinois went for President Joe Biden over Trump by 17 percentage points in 2020. The state has voted Democratic in the last eight presidential elections.

What experts say

The race between Pritzker and Bailey is rated "solid Democratic" by Inside Elections, "solid Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "safe Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.