Prairie State Wire

Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran is at a loss in understanding the logic of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“We have the most stringent COVID shutdown restrictions in the Midwest and what has it gotten us?” Curran told the Prairie State Wire. “We’re alone in what we do and in dire straits because of it. I think the governor needs to re-evaluate everything he’s doing.”

Curran argues the latest Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) job numbers support his position, pointing to the way the state has lost jobs in two of the last three months at a time when much of the rest of the country appears to be stabilizing to the tune of seven straight months of job growth. Not surprisingly the bulk of the job losses across Illinois have come in the leisure and hospitality industry, which lost upwards of 27,000 during the month of November as the governor’s ban on indoor dining continues.

“He’s listening to his people and what they’re telling him seems to be really throwing him off path,” Curran added. “Everywhere you look, you’ve got people trying to hold on to survive by doing whatever they can. It shouldn’t be that way. I know the job of the government isn’t to make things harder on its people. If you ask me, I really think too many of these small business owners are afraid to violate his orders because of all the threats he makes.”

Curran said he worries about what kind of future the state can have given all the damage he thinks the governor’s actions are causing.

“We’ve got people everywhere talking about leaving,” he said. “It seems that everybody that can get out is doing just that.”