Mayor Richard Irvin. State Sen. Darren Bailey Businessman Gary Rabine
SPRINGFIELD – Two GOP gubernatorial primary opponents that have been campaigning for several months responded to the news that Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is entering the Illinois GOP's effort to oust Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in November 2022.
State Senator Darren Bailey was critical of Irvin's voting record in numerous Democrat primaries:
"We believe the Republican Party's nominee should be a Republican, not someone who has made a career being a pro-abortion, anti-gun Democrat that praises Pritzker and doesn't share our principles," Bailey said in a statement.
"We welcome him to the GOP and his tax-raising ticket to the race, but our campaign remains the same; we are building a grassroots movement across the state made up of thousands of working people who the establishment, political elites, and donor class have forgotten. Darren Bailey is the true conservative in this race and with the help of working people across the state, we will win this election and begin to reform Springfield and restore Illinois."
GOP candidate Gary Rabine welcomed Irvin to the Illinois Republican Party, but also commented:
“I would like to welcome Aurora Mayor, Richard Irvin, to the governor’s race and to the Illinois Republican Party. After years of pulling Democratic primary ballots in years when Pat Quinn, Hillary and Joe Biden were top of the ticket, I am interested to hear what changed your mind on party affiliation," Rabine said.
"Equally compelling will be your explanation on supporting sanctuary cities and your effusive praise for Governor Pritzker. But I guess that’s what campaigns are all about."
Rabine said," I am a life-long, conservative Republican. I am pro-life, pro-gun and a fiscal hawk. I founded my now nationwide business in Illinois shortly after I graduated from high school. I have supported the Republican Party, conservative candidates, and the promotion of fundamental freedoms for decades. Just last week, I was one of the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit that successfully stopped the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate in the United States Supreme Court. I was one of the largest donors in Illinois to the Trump campaign and I have never voted in a Democratic Primary.”
Other GOP primary candidates include former State Senator Paul Schimpf and businessman Jesse Sullivan.
