Prairie State Wire

GOP candidate for governor State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) is calling on the state’s Republican Party to censure Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.

"The weak and idle talk of GOP Chairman Don Tracy regarding Richard Irvin's bald-faced lies will fracture our Republican Party. Richard Irvin is going beyond normal and acceptable campaign rhetoric to downright lie about me and my conservative record; Don Tracy knows it, Irvin knows it, the media knows it, and everyone following me for the last several years knows it. If Chairman Tracy truly believes what he says, he needs to take a stand for truth and the future and integrity of our party by publicly censuring Richard Irvin for his sleazy and lying campaign tactics. If the Republican Party wants to win in November, we must move past the weak establishment that has failed us for years. We must become the party fighting for working families, truth, freedom, law and order, taxpayers, school choice, and responsible government. The time for empty words is over; the time for action is now,” Bailey said in a press release.

Bailey’s disdain came after an Irvin ad in which he falsely claimed Bailey voted for Obama.

In another campaign ad, which Irvin admitted violated election code by not identifying who paid for it, Irvin links Bailey to President Joe Biden and suggests he is breaking with former President Donald Trump.

The schism has been obvious since Irvin entered the race.

Bailey came out swinging against Irvin right away.

He referred to Irvin as a "career Democrat" because of his Democrat voting record.

Conservatives chastised Irvin for declining to debate other Republican candidates in an open forum.

To the dismay of many, he elected to skip the Central Illinois Republican Governor Candidate Forum.

"I don't like when governor candidates dodge large well-attended debates which are really forums where questions are asked by a moderator and they can reply," Will County Board member and Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich said. "The only debate that usually happens is when a candidate says something about another candidate and the other candidate can respond. It is essentially giving the voters a chance to compare what each said. This is extremely important!"

A political action committee led by conservative radio presenter Dan Proft is behind an ad exposing Irvin's support for Black Lives Matter despite the group's role in riots, causing him to welcome Gov. J.B. Pritzker's National Guard.

He also supported the Pritzker administration's contentious masks and immunization regulations.

The commercial highlights Irvin's earlier support for BLM.

"I support Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately," Irvin is quoted as saying.

Ken Griffin, a hedge fund billionaire who has been a vocal opponent of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, has backed Irvin.

Griffin has threatened to relocate Citadel and its 1,100 employees out of state.

According to early polling, the state's Democratic Party is losing support as a result of the party's leadership crisis.

Bailey and Irvin are leading incumbent Pritzker in an unnamed Chicago suburb, according to a Tulchin Research survey.