**Remarks as Prepared for Delivery**
DU QUOIN, IL — During the JB for Governor statewide “Fighting for You” tour, lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Christian Mitchell delivered remarks at the Southern Illinois Chairs Brunch. He was joined by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Chair of the Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association and 12th Congressional Committee Person Calen Campanella, and 37 democratic county chairs from Southern Illinois to celebrate their hard work and dedication to building a strong state party.
“We were proud to welcome Christian Mitchell to Southern Illinois and hear about his and Governor JB Pritzker’s commitment to our region,” said 12th Congressional Committee Person and Southern Illinois Democratic County Chair Calen Campanella. “Governor Pritzker has consistently shown up for Southern Illinois and backed that commitment with real investments in our communities. Christian made clear today that he shares that commitment and will continue being a strong partner for Southern Illinois.”
“Southern Illinois has had a strong partner in Governor JB Pritzker, and we were glad to welcome Christian Mitchell today to talk about building on that progress,” said Hamilton County Chair Dorothy Smith. “JB and Christian understand that representing all of Illinois means showing up, listening to local leaders, and continuing to invest in the people and communities that make Southern Illinois such an important part of our state.”
“Today’s brunch was a great opportunity to bring Democrats from across Southern Illinois together and hear from Christian Mitchell about the work ahead,” said Jefferson County Chair Jason Hulbert. “Governor JB Pritzker has demonstrated his commitment to our region through meaningful investments and by making sure Southern Illinois has a seat at the table. We’re excited to have Christian as a partner in continuing that work and delivering for communities across Southern Illinois.”
Mitchell’s remarks were as follows:
AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
CHRISTIAN MITCHELL’S SOUTHERN CHAIRS BRUNCH REMARKS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026
Good morning, everyone!
Thank you, Calen, for that incredibly kind introduction.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge Calen’s hard work and leadership.
Thank you for advancing our party downstate and your service to the Democratic State Central Committee.
I also want to thank State Central Committee woman Vivian Robinson and former Congressman Glenn Poshard for their unwavering commitment to Southern Illinois.
Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing many of you in Springfield. I know that not everyone could make the trip, so I’m glad to see you here today!
Political scientists and pundits spend a lot of time trying to create fancy theoretical models of who votes and why they vote in elections. You and I know the truth from our lived experience. People vote because someone asks them to: and they vote for candidates because they’ve met the candidate or someone they trust asks them to trust their judgment.
Campaigns are won house to house, block by block, one precinct at a time.
Every voter contact matters. Every door knocked. Every phone call made could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Each of you has done this important, if unheralded work.
You know that talking to voters and getting them out to vote was how we win.
And you do it because the stakes in this election are high.
Our opponents want to rollback our accomplishments like protecting civil rights, increasing the minimum wage, the right to organize, and ensuring access to health care and affordable prescription drugs.
In fact, Darren Bailey has said he doesn’t support any bill that JB has signed – including the infrastructure bill and lowering the cost of prescriptions for our seniors. You know what he does support? Donald Trump’s tariffs, that are crippling our farmers and raising our prices.
He claims to be a farmer, and he claims to stand up for Southern Illinois – but he won’t even stand up to President Trump to protect his own. Bailey’s words say he cares about Southern Illinois, but his actions say he cares more about being a lap dog for Donald Trump.
When I’m elected lieutenant governor of the great state of Illinois, I promise you that I will show up for Southern Illinois – just like JB Pritzker has done for the last seven years.
Because Southern Illinois powers this state. It’s our engine.
Together, we’ll continue to support Southern Illinois by investing in rural hospitals so people can get the healthcare they need.
We’ll make sure pharmacies have the resources and staff to make sure people have access to their medicine.
We’ll keep investing in our roads and bridges to make getting in the car less of a hassle for folks.
And we’ll continue to bring in new businesses and industries to support job growth across the region.
We’ll never stop investing in and supporting Southern Illinois.
You have a partner in me. And you have a partner in JB Pritzker.
We’re not giving Donald Trump one inch of Illinois, and we’re sure as hell not letting Darren Bailey hand it to him.
Because Illinois isn’t theirs to take.
It’s ours to build.
So, we’re going to organize, and we’re going to fight.
That’s our responsibility every day until Election Day.
So, let’s get to work.
Let’s knock every door. Let’s knock every door.
Let’s call every phone.
Let’s elect Democrats up and down the ballot.
Let’s send my friend, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, to D.C. as our next Senator.
And: let’s re-elect the best governor in the nation, who has fought and won battles for nearly eight years to raise our wages, lower our costs, and put Illinois back on the side of working families.
Thank you so much for having me!
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