Prairie State Wire

Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) is taking Democrats to task for what he views as their permissive stance on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s federal spending.

“The Democrats gave Pritzker authority to spend billions in federal funds without any legislative oversight or accountability,” Bailey posted on Twitter. “Ridiculous. The working people and taxpayers of Illinois deserve better. We need serious reform and accountability in Springfield.”

Now seeking the GOP nomination for governor, Bailey insists he has a clear vision of what he wants to bring to state government.

“It’s time Springfield stopped trying to control people’s lives and started working to make them better,” he recently posted to Twitter. “I’ve been in this fight — standing for you and our future in Illinois. And I can promise you that I’m not backing down. Our home is worth fighting to restore.”

Bailey’s message seems to be resonating with voters, the Chicago City Wire reported, with a recent Ogden & Fry poll finding that his overall support among Republicans in the primary field stands at 33%, more than five times than his nearest competitor and more support than challengers Jesse Sullivan (6%), Gary Rabine (5%) and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf (3%) combined.

Long a harsh and vocal critic of the governor’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Bailey at one point moved to sue the administration over its stay-at-home order.

Team Bailey wasted little time dismissing the attack as more 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.”

Bailey recently took to social media seeking interns to help with his campaign, requesting that applicants submit their resumes by email to jose@baileyforillinois.com. Interns are required to work nights and weekends and are expected to be flexible in performing tasks that may include conducting research, managing voter databases, posting on social media and staffing campaign events.

"Friends, our team is expanding as our movement is growing every single day. Please share with those interested in gaining valuable experience while helping our campaign to restore Illinois," Bailey's campaign posted in the tweet.

Bailey also recently spoke out in favor of the guilty verdicts reached in the Ahmaud Arbery case, SE Illinois News reported.

“Justice was served again today,” Bailey posted on Twitter. “The men responsible for chasing down and killing Arbery were convicted of felony murder charges. Law and order means every American should feel safe in their communities. As your next governor, I’ll work every day to ensure that.”