Darren Bailey's Republican Party
Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) shakes hands with supporters after a rally Monday night in suburban Des Plaines.
Most polling indicates conservative downstate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) will win the GOP nomination for Governor Tuesday night, setting up a fall battle between the most conservative GOP nominee in at least a century and one of the most progressive governors in a lifetime in Gov. JB Pritzker.
Bailey exuded confidence speaking to a crowd at his last rally before polls open Monday night in suburban Des Plaines.
“We have the answers. We have the answers for prosperity. We have the answers for safety. We have the answers for life. We have the answers for good education. We have the answers to bring business back to Illinois and the answers for low taxes, but we’re not standing on them,” Bailey said. “We have to elect men and women with backbone and the fortitude to stand up for our values and take back our lives.”
Bailey flew around the state Monday as candidates crisscrossed the state trying to drum up energy and last minute voters. Venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, who appears to have pulled into second place, rallied in Lombard Monday night, while Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who has faced a campaign collapse in recent weeks, held an event in suburban Cary.
Bailey’s hard-charging conservatism will likely be outspent by billionaire Pritzker, though billionaire Richard Uihlein has contributed directly and indirectly to Bailey’s
“Illinois needs someone with backbone to stand up and push back. Governor Pritzker has no desire to do anything good for Illinois, except for destroying our freedoms,” Bailey told a crowd of over 200 Monday. “He wants to talk about a special session in a couple of weeks to talk about expanding the abortion mecca in Illinois. That’s what we’re up against.”
The question will be if Bailey will…or can…moderate his message for suburban voters after winning the primary.