The Illinois conservative candidate for governor believes the key to unseating the well-funded incumbent this November lies not in changing minds or fundraising, but getting frustrated residents to the polls to vote. 

Former Sen. Darren Bailey is gearing up for a rematch against billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The Republican challenger acknowledges the uphill battle in deep-blue Illinois but insists the political environment is drastically different this time. 

“I don’t think our friends in Chicago were feeling the economic pinch the rest of us were downstate, and today they are,” Bailey told Heartlander News. 

Bailey says the state’s exorbitant spending, high property taxes and rising energy costs are creating a surprising level of momentum for his campaign. He believes frustration is bridging the political divide. 

“Many of these soft Democrats, most independents and even soft Republicans, they’re fed up, they’re tired, they can’t afford to live here,” he said. 

Bailey’s biggest opponent might not be Pritzker. It might be apathy. 

Illinois has roughly 10 million eligible voters. Bailey points out only 70% of those individuals are registered. During his 2022 run, only 43% of registered voters actually cast a ballot. 

“Therein lies our problem,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot of frustration, especially with the younger crowd. They say, ‘My vote doesn’t count,’ or ‘It’s rigged,’ and they just throw their hands up and walk away from the polls.” 

Changing those numbers will require a massive voter turnout operation. 

“That is literally what we’re going to be working on these next seven months, as we spend a lot of time in Cook and the collar counties,” Bailey said. “Just letting people know you’ve got a farmer here, someone with business sense, someone with common sense, someone who’s stood up against this nonsense, and we’re asking for your vote.” 

Meanwhile, Republican operatives warn Bailey’s failure to pivot to a general election strategy and his continued focus on a state-level “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, is alienating moderate suburban voters. 

But Bailey is defending the cost-saving initiative as the only viable way to fund his proposed economic relief, if elected. He wants to put his lieutenant governor in charge of the commission to root out waste and abuse. 

“As I talk about pushing down property taxes, as I talk about pausing or getting rid of some or all of the gas tax, folks will naturally ask, well, where’s the money going to come from?” Bailey said. 

Bailey pointed to a live spending tracker on his campaign website to highlight what he views as rampant waste. He criticized the governor for funneling $180 million in remodeling grants to the Pritzker-owned Hyatt Hotel in Chicago over the last two years. 

Some Illinois Republicans are expressing concern over Bailey’s post-primary fundraising compared to Pritzker’s vast personal resources. 

Bailey acknowledged the financial disparity but remains unbothered. He set a $23 million budget goal for the cycle and noted his previous campaign was hampered by an outside Super PAC that spent tens of millions of dollars. 

“I believe that the money will show up when it needs to show up,” Bailey said. “I was the only candidate in the primary that has the lessons learned of four years ago, that has the name ID, that has the work ethic, and we just got to get out there now and re-inspire and reinvigorate the base for the support.” 

A key part of Bailey’s strategy involves changing how Republicans vote. He is urging his supporters to utilize early voting methods they historically shied away from to ensure ballots are banked long before Election Day. 

“I’ve talked to a lot of people already, patriots that believe in all this – they did not vote in the primary,” Bailey said. “They got busy, they forgot, they got called away. So, although early voting has its issues, we’ve got to use it to win, and only until we can win can we change voter integrity here in Illinois.” 

Bailey said voters must show up on Election Day if they want to see relief at the pump and a reduction in state waste.

“We have to inspire them, or we have to fire them up to show up to vote,” he said. “At the end of the day, you really have nothing else to lose.”