Dupage Policy Journal

Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) is on a bus tour of the state’s 102 counties. The tour is set to end on June 25, just three days before the June 28 primary. 

Bailey’s tour recently made stops in Boone, McHenry, Lake, Kane, and DuPage counties.

“We are going to send a message to the Republican establishment that we will not be bullied into sacrificing our principles to elect their hand-picked candidates,” Bailey said. “People say JB Pritzker wants me to win this primary because he thinks having me as an opponent means he will have an easier time winning. My message to JB Pritzker is BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…. BECAUSE YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT!”

Bailey pledges to be a governor for the people of Illinois who deserve to always be considered when creating laws and implementing policies. 

“There is just one problem. The decision of who will be our next Governor is not up to elitist billionaires like him who despise working people like us. It is up to you – the people. And that thought ought to keep JB Pritzker up at night," Bailey said. "Pritzker signed legislation into law taking away the right of conscience for workers in Illinois to be able to make their own healthcare decisions. JB also signed legislation allowing minors to get abortions without parental notification. Your 12-year-old daughter can’t go on a school field trip without your permission, but she can get an abortion without you knowing about it? Governor Pritzker is an extreme leftist who hates parents, and his policies are a complete joke.”

The Democratic Governors Association is running ads claiming Republican gubernatorial candidates are “running on radical anti-choice stances that are completely out of touch with Illinois values. This primary is only going to get nastier as the crowded field tries to out-Trump each other with anti-science, anti-safety, anti-choice policies. Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker has signed sweeping legislation protecting abortion as a fundamental right.” 

The Chicago Tribune reported on a DGA ad that said, “One hundred percent pro-life, Bailey wants to ban abortions and make it illegal here in Illinois. An NRA member, Bailey opposes sensible gun control and says he’ll protect the Second Amendment at all cost.”

The third-generation farmer, who grew up on the Bailey Family Farm has grabbed a large lead in a poll commissioned by the Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ. In that poll, 32% of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Bailey, compared to 17% for Richard Irvin. Jesse Sullivan, who garnered 11% of the vote, was the only other candidate to receive support in the double digits. Former state senator Paul Schimpf scored 6%, followed by businessman Gary Rabine with 7%, and Max Solomon with 2%, according to WGLT.