Gen Z Republican intern Kavanagh backs Bailey over concerns: ‘People and employers are leaving our state in droves’
A new generation of Illinois Republicans is stepping into the political arena, with 24-year-old Clarendon Hills resident Matthew Kavanagh warning that soaring taxes, rising costs and government spending are making it harder for young residents to build lives in the state.
Kavanagh, a recent Marquette University graduate currently participating in Bailey’s campaign efforts as a summer intern, said those concerns are fueling his support for the Republican candidate’s 2026 gubernatorial bid.
“I'm enthusiastically supporting Darren Bailey for governor of Illinois,” Kavanagh said in a video provided to the DuPage Policy Journal. “To put it bluntly, the once great state of Illinois is not doing so well under the failed leadership of Governor Pritzker and the left-wing Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers of Illinois General Assembly.”
Illinois Democrats have maintained significant control of state government in recent decades, with Democratic majorities holding supermajorities in the Illinois General Assembly for much of the period since 2013.
The Illinois Republican Party has elected only one governor in the past 26 years and has not held control of the state Senate since 2002 or the House since 1996.
Kavanagh is among a growing number of Gen Z voters moving right, with recent polling as reported by Yale University showing voters ages 18 to 21 favoring Republican candidates by nearly 12 points in some surveys.
Kavanagh pointed to Illinois’ tax burden and fiscal challenges as key issues motivating his support for Bailey. He cited concerns about property taxes, pension obligations, government spending and the state’s financial structure.
“First, Illinoisans are burdened by the highest combined state and local taxes in entire country,” he said. “This includes crushing property taxes that makes homeownership impossible for many Illinois families. The fiscal crisis in Illinois is real. Massive pension debt, huge overspending, lack of financial controls, and structural budget deficits have all contributed to the financial crisis in the country.”
Bailey’s campaign has made affordability, taxes, government spending, crime and population loss central themes as he prepares for a rematch against Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Bailey, a former state senator and farmer, won the Republican nomination and previously challenged Pritzker in 2022, when Pritzker won with 54.9% of the vote compared with Bailey’s 42.4%.
Kavanagh also cited Illinois population trends as a reason for supporting a change in state leadership, arguing that residents and businesses have been leaving because of fiscal and regulatory concerns.
“It's not surprising that given the competence of the Democrats who have a virtual monopoly of power in Illinois, that people and employers are leaving our state in droves,” he said.
Census data from 2024 also showed that approximately 282,796 Illinois residents moved to other states while about 200,326 people moved into Illinois from elsewhere, resulting in a net domestic migration loss.
“Illinois residents are leaving our great state and heading to states like Tennessee, Florida, and Texas, which have much better fiscal policies,” Kavanagh said.
More than half of the state's counties and eight of its 11 metropolitan areas lost residents to other states, according to 2025 migration estimates. DuPage County recorded a net loss of 5,854 residents to other states, among the largest county-level domestic migration losses in Illinois.
Several major companies have relocated headquarters or operations out of Illinois during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s tenure.
“In addition to individuals, many companies are also leaving Illinois for better-run states. For example, Boeing, Caterpillar, Citadel, and Morton Salt have all fled Illinois and to other states with better fiscal and regulatory environments,” Kavanagh said. “Unbelievably, it appears that the Chicago Bears are also leaving Illinois to move to Hammond, Indiana. When Governor Pritzker and the Democrats who dominate the Illinois General Assembly cannot even keep the Chicago bears in Illinois, you know it's time for a change in leadership.”
The departures of both residents and businesses have fueled debate over Illinois’ business climate, taxes and regulatory environment.
Recent tax analyses have highlighted Illinois’ high tax burden as a continuing policy issue.
Data reported by Illinois Policy shows Illinois has the highest effective residential property tax rate in the country, with an average rate of 1.88% of home value compared with the national average of 0.86%.
Meanwhile, Wallethub reported Illinois has the nation’s highest combined state and local tax burden with a household earning the national median income expected to pay about $13,099 in state and local taxes, or more than 16.5% of income.
Kavanagh said Bailey’s proposed approach would focus on reducing taxes, limiting spending and increasing government accountability.
“I firmly believe that Darren Bailey is going to fix the very serious problems that plague our state,” Kavanagh said. “As governor, Darren Bailey will fight to lower taxes, cut wasteful spending, and bring accountability and responsibility to managing our state."
Kavanagh is part of the Bailey campaign’s summer internship program aimed at recruiting college students, recent high school graduates and young adults for campaign roles.
The program offers paid and unpaid opportunities, with some unpaid positions eligible for college credit, in areas including grassroots organizing, communications, social media, events, data and office support.
Concerned Parents of Illinois founder Kristina McCloy is leading the campaign’s internship program in DuPage County.
McCloy said the effort is intended to provide political experience and mentorship opportunities for young conservatives.
“In the 2024 election, Republicans saw their strongest performance with voters under 30 in any presidential race since 2004, with young voters shifting 9 points more Republican than in 2020,” McCloy told the DuPage Policy Journal in May. “That momentum is continuing here in Illinois, where we are seeing a growing number of college students and recent high school graduates flocking to the conservative movement, energized by the opportunity to help shape our state’s future.”
McCloy described the program as a way for participants to gain experience in grassroots organizing and civic engagement.
“Working alongside myself and the Bailey campaign, these young leaders are gaining firsthand experience in grassroots organizing, community outreach, and civic engagement while standing up to Governor JB Pritzker’s Marxist agenda that they know will hurt their futures,” she said.