Illinois’ liberal governor is accusing his conservative challenger of prioritizing guns over families.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s campaign launched a political attack claiming Darren Bailey harbors an “extreme, out-of-step agenda” on gun rights.
Bailey recently spoke at the Church on Fire 7 Mountains Conference in Decatur, where he spent the afternoon laying out a vision focused on unity and practical solutions to get Illinois back on track.
Pritzker’s campaign responded only to the portion in which Bailey briefly firmed up his stance on Second Amendment rights.
“Well, anyone that knows me knows there’s no one here more pro-life or more pro-Second Amendment than I. So, there will be no new legislation that will be signed. I guarantee you that,” Bailey told the crowd.
Bailey immediately pivoted to the realities of governing in a blue state and explained why building consensus must come before ideological battles.
“We’re going to have to work because we are going to be in the superminority, and we’re going to have to work to fix some of these other problems before we can deal with these issues,” he explained.
“We’re going to have to earn the trust of Chicago and their representatives and legislators,” he added.
Bailey used former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner as a cautionary tale for how not to govern in a deep-blue state.
“Does anybody remember Bruce Rauner? Do you remember the first thing that he did? Day one he showed up and went to war against Mike Madigan and the unions. And what happened? Nothing, nothing, nothing.
“You’re going to have to be patient. We’re going to have to pray. You’re going to have to work with me,” Bailey said.
“We have to realize that right now, where we’ve gotten in the last seven years, we can’t afford to live here. We’re not safe, and our schools are failing. Those have got to be the three priorities that we focus on first, then we’ll move into the other issues.”
Voters at the conference heard a detailed blueprint to rescue Illinois from its most pressing challenges. Bailey outlined three core priorities, starting with an audit of the state’s ballooning $56 billion budget and a 90-day gas tax suspension to provide immediate financial relief.
He also demanded a complete repeal of the controversial SAFE-T Act and the elimination of sanctuary policies he argued serve as a “vacancy sign” for dangerous criminals.
Bailey spoke up for parental rights and school choice to combat severe proficiency drop-offs in public education.
Both Bailey and his wife, Cindy, reflected on the deep integration of their Christian faith, family life and public service.
Darren shared a story of how they met as teenagers, highlighting Cindy’s vital partnership in his journey through church leadership, local school boards and state government.
Cindy shared a heartfelt message of gratitude for the diverse, bipartisan outpouring of community support following the recent tragic loss of their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
At the end, leaders at the conference prayed over the candidate and his wife.
