CHICAGO, IL — During tonight’s debate, Darren Bailey claimed he would be an effective governor and usher in a new era of leadership in Illinois. Yet his record as a state legislator speaks for itself: Bailey accomplished staggeringly little.
Bailey sponsored only two bills that passed while opposing mountains of legislation to make life better for Illinoisans—even bipartisan legislation that his Republican colleagues supported and voted for. Bailey voted against every balanced budget, raising the minimum wage, and capping the cost of insulin. Apparently, he was too busy sponsoring legislation to kick nearly 3 million people out of Illinois and comparing abortion to the Holocaust to take the time to get things done for his constituents.
“Darren Bailey’s profound lack of accomplishment in the legislature demonstrates that he’s not a leader, he’s dead weight,” said JB for Governor campaign spokesperson Leah Hurwitz. “Perhaps that’s why former Republican Minority Leader Jim Durkin endorsed Governor Pritzker over his former colleague Darren Bailey. Talk about failing the reference check.”
Governor JB Pritzker’s record runs circles around Darren Bailey’s. From lowering costs for working families to standing up for civil and voting rights, Gov. Pritzker has delivered for Illinoisans:
- Increased the minimum wage to $15 per hour, delivering a raise to an estimated 1.4 million workers.
- Created and doubled the Illinois child tax credit, which helped 800,000 Illinois working families receive more than $200 million in tax cuts between 2024 and 2025.
- Erased over $1.1 billion in medical debt for over 500,000 Illinoisans.
- Eliminated the state grocery tax.
- Created new affordable grocery stores in food deserts with the Illinois Grocery Initiative.
- Made Illinois a safe haven for abortion rights and reproductive freedom.
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