EFFINGHAM – State Senator Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) told a crowd in Effingham Monday night that he was throwing his hat in the ring to challenge IL Governor JB Pritzker in 2022. The Bailey Campaign then started on a 6-stop bus tour hitting population centers outside the Chicago area ending in Shorewood Illinois Wednesday evening.
Bailey took a few minutes with Illinois Review Tuesday afternoon to share what was on his mind as he embarks on his first gubernatorial bid.
We started by asking Sen. Bailey about the seven issues he lists on his campaign website – BaileyforIllinois.com. Are the seven – 1. Reopening the Economy and Schools, 2. Pro-Life, 3. Second Amendment, 4. Education, 5. Taxes, 6. Agriculture and 7. Government Transparency – are they his top priorities?
The conversation went on from there …
The following is from the Bailey for Governor Campaign sent out Tuesday –
EFFINGHAM — Southern Illinois farmer and State Senator Darren Bailey announced Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for Governor, aiming to unseat incumbent J.B. Pritzker in 2022.
Kicking off his campaign with a seven-stop bus tour through Illinois, Bailey spoke to hundreds of supporters in Effingham Monday evening, outlining his plan to reform a state that has been broken and abandoned by career politicians who have lost touch with the needs of hardworking Illinoisans.
“There’s nothing that’s wrong with Illinois that can’t be fixed by some conservative common sense. I’ll fight for the working people, not the political elites. Today, there is a political class that is ignoring our values and harming American families. Illinois needs a leader that is one of us,” Bailey noted on his decision to enter the race.
Bailey is a third-generation farmer who today, along with his sons, owns and operates Bailey Family Farm. He describes himself as a farmer, family man, and fellow citizen who has always lived by the motto of faith, family, and farming. He and his wife of 34 years, Cindy, live on Bailey Family Farm in Southern Illinois.
Elected to the state legislature in 2018, Bailey is a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment conservative who has fought against tax hikes, reckless spending, abortion access expansion, and sanctuary state legislation. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey led the charge against sweeping executive orders that shuddered Illinois businesses, collapsed the economy, and deprived hardworking Illinoisans of their livelihoods.
Bailey pledged to continue standing strong against these issues if elected Governor, making reopening Illinois’ economy and schools a top priority.
“Illinois is in trouble. We have a massive deficit, some of the highest tax burdens in the entire nation, and skyrocketing unemployment. Add to that career politicians who have used a pandemic to destroy our local economy.”
“The same people on both sides of the aisle have failed us for decades. They are the elites—the rich and powerful—who have put their interests in front of us; the farmers from downstate, the mechanics from the south side, the hard-working families that have built this state. We can do better.”
As part of his campaign announcement tour, Bailey has stops planned in Marion, Highland, Bloomington, Utica, Loves Park, and Shorewood through February 24th. A complete schedule can be found at BaileyForIllinois.com.
The Republican primary election for Illinois Governor will be held on March 15, 2022.
More to come on IllinoisReview.com …
