Prairie State Wire

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) thinks a new Republican poll for governor should send a stern message to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Confirming what we already knew; this election is not for sale,” Bailey tweeted of the Ogden & Fry poll that shows him lapping the field just months after formally launching his campaign for the Republican nomination and the chance to take on Pritzker  

“People are ready for change and our grassroots movement to fight for working families and restore Illinois is only getting stronger,” he said. “We will fire Pritzker and get Illinois working again.”

Pollsters peg Bailey’s support among Republicans in the primary field at 33%, more than five times his nearest competitor and more support than challengers Jesse Sullivan (6%) and Gary Rabine (5 %) and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf (3%) combined.

Researchers also found nearly nine out of every 10 (88%) of respondents support masks being optional in schools and 86.6% still view former President Donald Trump in a favorable light.

Bailey has long been a critic of the governor’s handling of the pandemic, at one point suing the administration over its stay-at-home order. Recently, the Democratic Governors Association blasted Bailey and the other three Republican candidates as “anti-science.”

Bailey supporters view it all as political posturing.

"It is clear that the Democratic Governors Association is terrified about Darren Bailey," his campaign posted on its Twitter page. "They know JB is vulnerable, and they see our campaign as the top contender to defeat him next November.”

Team Bailey argues it’s easy to see why Bailey is the better candidate.

“Pritzker has failed working families across the state and has been unable to keep communities safe,” the post said. “He is nothing but a mandate candidate who wants to unilaterally control private businesses, shut down churches, and force children to wear masks."

Bailey and his supporters paint him as being the polar opposite

"Darren built his family farm from the ground up and raised his family here; Illinois is home and worth fighting to restore," Bailey’s page posted. "We are building a grassroots movement full of thousands of working Illinoisans to defeat JB next November, and no amount of money will stall our momentum."