OAK BROOK, Ill. (WGN) — Conservative downstate framer Darren Bailey on Thursday kicked off another bid for Illinois governor with the same theme: Fire Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
“People just can’t afford to live and work here. Pritzker has caused all that, and I think we’re going to bring the cure,” Bailey said.
The former state senator easily won the GOP primary in 2022 but lost the general election to Pritzker by nearly 13 points. Now, his ‘Bailey 2.0’ campaign is re-packaged and re-branded.
“We’re going to focus on what all Illinoisians have in common, and that is taxes, opportunities, and affordability,” Bailey said.
Gone is running mate Stephanie Trussell, as Bailey has instead tapped Cook County Republican Chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.
Bailey and Del Mar enter the GOP primary as well-knowns among voters, insiders, and the press.
Bailey said he will focus on business, public safety, and education this election cycle, and his team insists the rhetoric will be different, no verbal bombs like last time.
“Let’s think about Chicago, a crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole,” he said during his last campaign for governor.
“There were times in the campaign when maybe I got a little too passionate with my words,” Bailey said Thursday upon reflection. “You know, sometimes you say something to someone and it bites and stings harder than you thought. So I’ve reevaluated those statements, and I want to help make Chicago the number one city in the nation.”
The field for the March primary includes Bailey, Ted Dabrowski from Wirepoints, and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. A poll commissioned by the Bailey campaign showed the farmer holds a double-digit lead over his rivals.
The Democratic Party of Illinois is monitoring the situation, saying in a statement, in part, “Darren Bailey is an extreme MAGA Republican, a Donald Trump loyalist, and has no business anywhere near the Governor’s Office.”
President Donald Trump backed Bailey amid his last bid for state governor. Bailey said he would welcome the president’s support once more in this campaign.
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