There will be a contested 2024 Republican primary race for the Illinois 12th Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost.

Bost, who announced recently he is seeking re-election to a sixth term, will be faced by recent Illinois Republican gubernatorial nominee and state Sen. Darren Bailey.

 “I will fight for Southern Illinois and be your voice in Congress, fighting tooth and nail to protect our Second Amendment rights and defend the sanctity of life. And I will always be a champion for American jobs and working families,” Bailey said during his July 4 campaign announcement.  

“Bailey is putting selfish opportunism and personal ambition ahead of the interests of Southern Illinois conservatives, and Republican primary voters won’t forget that,” Bost campaign manager Myles Nelson said. 

The Republican primary election is March 19.

According to Politico.com, the downstate contest is set to be the most watched in Illinois next year, as it pits two far-right Republicans against each other.

“Bailey is a southern Illinois farmer whose run for governor was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Bost is a five-term congressman and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was also endorsed by Trump,” the site said, adding that “a Trump endorsement would be huge in the high-profile contest.”

The 12th District voted 56-41 percent for Trump in 2020, and 55-40 percent in 2016.