(Andrew Hensel, The Center Square) Ill. Republicans rallied at the Illinois State Fair, downplaying the Pritzker administration in hopes of garnering more support in Nov.
It was the second day of party gatherings in Springfield, with Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and other officials taking the stage.
On Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker talked about the past “accomplishments” of his administration.
Bailey talked about it on Thursday.
“Our legislature keeps passing more and more radical legislation,” Bailey said.
“They are interfering in our schools. They are raising our taxes, which are some of the highest in the country. Our legislature is going soft on criminals to the point where they have made Chicago a hellhole.”
Stephanie Trussell, Bailey’s running mate for the Nov. election, also spoke at the GOP event. The Chicago native echoed Bailey’s words and claimed Pritzker had made the state a more dangerous place to live.
“His policies have made our communities less safe,” Trussell said.
“I want everyone to go home and do your research on the SAFE-T Act because you know if a Democrat names a policy, you know it does the opposite of what it has named after.”
Bailey said the issues in Illinois begin with the sitting governor.
“[Ill.] is not a mess just because of the Legislature. Chicago, a once great city, did not become a hellhole just because of Lori Lightfoot and Kim Foxx,” Bailey said.
“It all starts with J.B. Pritzker.”
Many GOP leaders spoke at the event and shared a common thought that the state is broken. However, Bailey said he knows how to fix it.
“Our home is in trouble, thanks to fat cat leaders like Joe Biden and J.B. Pritzker,” Bailey said.
“You cannot clear a field of weeds if you do not pull them out by the roots, friends. The only way to fix Illinois is to fire J.B. Pritzker.”
Pritzker answered questions on Wednesday about possible strife within the party. He denied those claims.
GOP chairman Don Tracy also was asked about how the Republicans are getting along. He said that after a contentious primary election, Bailey is garnering support from former opponents.
“It was a really rough and tumble primary election,” Tracy said.
“We had a great unity event last night and Richard Irvin was there, Gary Rabine was there and Jesse Sullivan was there and they all spoke in favor of Darren Bailey.”
The Ill. gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 8.
