PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Making his second shot for the Illinois top job, 2022 Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Darren Bailey made his case as to why he should replace Gov. JB Pritzker.

Bailey won the Republican nomination in the March primary and will be up against Pritzker on Nov. 3.

Pritzker is seeking a third term. Bailey lost by 13 percentage points in 2022. In that election, Pritzker won Peoria County by two points. Despite that loss, Bailey feels confident in the rematch.

“You learn from mistakes and you put together a plan, said the Southern Illinois farmer. “What really needs to be done here? You know, I think I understood that in 2022. But I did a lot of talking and not enough listening. I’m trying to listen more. We’re being very well received with that, especially in Chicago.”

Bailey was a guest on WMBD News On the Record to discuss his priorities if elected the 44th governor of Illinois.

Energy costs

Ameren recently announced a temporary increase in the power supply charge on utility bills over the summer, from 8.7 cents per kilowatt-hour to 11.326 cents, starting June 1.

For better understanding, a refrigerator uses 1 to 2 kilowatts per day, according to Appliance Update.

Jim Chilsen with Citizens Utility Board says data centers are one of the main drivers for the price hike.

Bailey said that it is just poor planning. He said clean energy initiatives passed by Democrats have shut down coal power plants, causing an energy shortage.

“When I started serving as a state representative in 2019, we were exporting energy. We had everything that we need,” he said. “Today, we are literally having to import energy because we’ve shut down reliable energy.”

He said the state needs to expand its energy production by adding more coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants.

“Otherwise, we’re just simply going to push people out of the state because of affordability,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to lure the businesses in that are going to create the jobs because they simply can’t afford it.”

The Hammond Bears?

The Chicago Bears have tried to make a deal with the state of Illinois to build a stadium in Arlington Heights. The NFL team has asked for multiple tax subsidies, including a reduction in property taxes.

However, Illinois lawmakers failed to pass and the Bears have said they are moving ahead with planning to move to Hammond, Indiana. Hoosier lawmakers passed $1 billion in taxpayer subsidies to woo the team.

Bailey said he wants to speak with the Chicago-based NFL team before the general election. He said Illinois Democratic leadership has screwed up.

 “They’ve got a plan. JB Pritzker doesn’t have a plan,” he said.

Bailey said Pritzker mismanaged COVID-19 relief funds, federal dollars used to support states during the global pandemic. While Bailey didn’t specify what deal he would have made in Pritzker’s shoes, he said the Democratic governor could have used some of the COVID-19 relief funds to fund a stadium.

“We simply can’t afford what Indiana is offering, and to offer just a simple tax break, as has been done with the history of Illinois, well, that’s why our property taxes are so high. That’s why people and businesses are leaving Illinois and going to states like Indiana,” he said.

Fiscal responsibility

Bailey would like to provide tax relief to residents, and he said he’d do so by cutting the Illinois budget.

The 2027 fiscal year budget for the state totals $55.9 billion, a slight increase over this year’s $55.1 billion. Bailey said he wants to go through the budget and find programs, or “waste,” to cut.

“People need transparency, and the state government needs accountability. So bringing that to them, busting open this budget, finding, just finding the waste, because I know it’s full of it,” he said.

“Showing that to the people, making sure that they understand where their money is going because they’re not going to be happy about it,” he continued.

Bailey’s campaign

His second run for governor was shortly met with heartbreak, after learning his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren died in a helicopter crash in Montana.

Despite the loss, Bailey continued his run.

“Spending two months just soaking up family. Just soaking up this time and having a, you know, a new outlook on life, the brevity of it, the importance of it,” he said.

Another revelation for Bailey was when he went through his late son’s computer. “He was actually contemplating, unbeknownst to Cindy and I, a possible run for a state rep or a state Senate in 28,” he said.

That for him, that was all he needed.

Now he’s continuing with his campaign in hopes of becoming the 44th governor of Illinois.

“More bureaucracy, more legislation, more mandates. Illinois doesn’t need that,” he said. “The taxpayers need relief. That comes through a commonsense budget that everyone can decipher, see the details, understand that, and that’s what I propose, making that the top priority.”

• A storm is predicted on Saturday, June 13 in Illinois.
• Most of the state is currently expected to be under a level 2 out 5 risk, according to a Severe Weather Outlook.
• The severe storm would be the third one this week in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – Another severe storm is forecast for central Illinois.

The storm predicted for Saturday afternoon and into Saturday night is expected to be less severe than the ones Springfield experienced on June 11 and June 10.

Most of the state is set to be under a Slight Risk for severe weather, which is a level 2 out of 5, according to an infographic from the National Weather Service out of Lincoln.

The main expected hazard is damaging wind gusts at 60-75 mph, with higher gusts west of Jacksonville.

Scattered hail over 1 inch in diameter is also expected, in addition to possible isolated tornadoes and localized flash flooding.

More: Authorities believe fire set at Springfield playground was arson

Storms this past week

Reached by The State Journal-Register, Matt Barnes, who is a meteorologist with the weather service out of Lincoln, said straight line winds at 60-70 mph caused damage in Springfield on the night of June 11.

The storm came in around 7 p.m.

Quite a few trees and power lines were knocked down, Barnes said.

More than 11,000 people lost electrical power across Springfield, according to a news release from City, Water, Light, and Power. The storms snapped poles, bringing trees and limbs down onto power lines, Amber Sabin wrote in the release. Sabin is the director of customer and media relations for the agency.

“With all available resources, including CWLP crews in the field from Electric Operations Troubleshooters, Construction, Substations, Relay, Traffic, Communications, and other support divisions, progress has been made but more work is to be done until all customers are restored power,” Sabin wrote early on June 12.

Tornado undetermined

The weather service on June 12 is sending a damage survey crew to Springfield and other locations in Sangamon County to assess damage from a severe storm that hit the area on June 10. The crew seeks to determine whether the damage may have been caused by a tornado.

A report from NWS is expected this evening that will be available on the NWS homepage or its social media pages.

Rainfall this week

Springfield recorded 1.95″ of rain on June 11, and 0.88″ of rain on June 10.

Some places in central Illinois have seen a “tremendous” amount of rainfall, and scattered flash-flooding may be a concern with upcoming storm activity, Barnes said.

Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@usatodayco.com.

Updated Friday, June 12, 2026 at 12:00 a.m.

Heavy storms caused major damage to at least two school buildings in Vermilion County last night.

Joel Bird is the Director of the Vermilion County Emergency Management Agency. He said the damage is widespread.

“Danville has several homes with trees that have fallen near the garage or the home,” said Bird.

Mark Denman Elementary School in Danville lost its roof and that wasn’t all.

“Up in Hoopeston, there’s several spots where a tornado went through on the South side… some damage at the high school, east of town at the local bridge,” said Bird.

The Nutrien Plant also took a direct hit. Bird said as of late Thursday night, there are no reports of injuries or deaths.

The sounds of chainsaws will fill the air in many Champaign County communities on Friday.

Kandy Powell was at home around 7:30 Thursday night when a storm blew through east Urbana.

“But then the winds got really strong. And as you looked out the window you can see that the trees were kind of bowing down a little bit. And from there we heard a very large snap,” said Powell.

The large branch of one tree fell onto her driveway just missing the house. A branch from another tall, mature tree fell, blocking her street. Powell did not lose power, but thousands of people in Champaign-Urbana had a long wait to get the lights back on overnight.

Updated Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 8:30 p.m.

There are multiple reports of damage after severe storms passed through Champaign and Vermilion Counties on Thursday night. The National Weather Service issued Tornado Warning for Champaign County at 7:28 p.m. 

As of 8:42 p.m., Ameren reports more than 78,000 customers have lost power. Thousands of homes and businesses in the Springfield, Champaign-Urbana and Danville areas do not have electricity. To report a downed power line, call 800.755.5000.

Below are some pictures of storm damage. This story will be updated through the evening.

Large tree branch lying across driveway in Urbana after storms on June 11, 2026.