Illinois
GOP IL gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey speaks out after helicopter crash kills family members
CHICAGO (WLS) — Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey spoke with ABC7 Chicago for the first time about the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of four of his family members back in October.
Bailey took some time off from the campaign trail, but is now back at it.
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It is an uphill battle for Republicans looking to hold any statewide office in Illinois, but Bailey believes he is up for the fight this time around. His family tragedy was a devastating blow, but it’s also something that’s motivating him more than ever to try and bring about change.
“Well, it’s tough, and it has been life changing,” Bailey said. “One of the biggest things that has taken place is just our renewed passion for life.”
Six weeks ago, a tragic helicopter crash in Montana took the lives of his son, Zach; daughter-in-law, Kelsey; and two grandchildren, 12-year-old Vada Rose and 7-year-old Samuel. Finn, 10, was not onboard.
Zach was piloting the chopper.
“I’ve never lost anyone close to me, you know, especially anyone, even unexpectedly like this. So, my compassion for people has also kind of been heightened,” Bailey said.
Bailey remembers getting the news while campaigning in Freeport, Illinois.
“You see in movies, sometimes how everything is in slow motion. As I think back to that, that’s exactly what, that’s exactly how my mind is playing out,” he said.
Bailey and his wife then rushed to Montana to break the news to their grandson, Finn.
“He just looked up, and he said, ‘papa, what are you doing here?’ So I just said, ‘well, grandma, honey, and I wanted to come out and see you, to come outside and get your shoes on, and she’s waiting in the car for you,’” he said. “Soon as he opened the door and saw Cindy, he knew what was going on. So just to watch that set of emotions that took place then was just, was just, I’ll never forget that.”
They got Finn a new puppy, a golden lab named Reagan, to replace the dog who died in the helicopter crash.
“We’re just staying busy doing things and just regaining a new appreciation for everyone. This puppy, I can already tell you, is going to be, is going to be solidify things even more,” Bailey said.
The tragedy drew his downstate Illinois family closer despite the void at Thanksgiving.
Bailey and his wife, Cindy, are now raising their grandson, Finn, with the help of other family members, who he says support his second campaign for governor.
Bailey lost by more than 12 points to incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022. This time he’s learned some lessons.
“Probably one of the big things that we learned is, is targeting the low-propensity voter and informing them and making things available to help them understand whether to vote early. Do we need to come and pick you up?” Bailey said.
Bailey remains a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump despite harsh Democratic criticism of the president’s policies, including the aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago and the suburbs.
Trump endorsed Bailey in 2022.
“I think that if JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson, if they would have addressed this years ago, if they would choose to work with President Trump, I don’t know that we would have seen these issues,” Bailey said. “He’s the president. And I think that in time, I think that many of his policies are going to prove to be the right thing that’s going on.”
And that includes President Trump’s tariffs on soybeans, which Bailey says are a means to an end to help farmers.
Bailey also supports using the National Guard to battle crime in Chicago if that’s what it takes.
Bailey says he’s sorry if anyone thinks he’s trying to use this tragedy to help his campaign.
He says what it is for him is a motivation to try and make Illinois a better place for his 11 grandchildren, and a 12th one now on the way.
Bailey is one of seven candidates currently running for the Republican nomination, with the primary next March.
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Illinois
Produce Recall Issued In Parasite Outbreak Hitting IL
A number of Taco Bell locations have posted signs announcing they are “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall,” according to Detroit-area news radio outlet WWJ.
Taco Bell told the Post it would keep monitoring the situation and follow authorities’ guidance.
Taco Bell Lettuce Linked To Growing MI Parasite Outbreak: FDA
“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company told the Post. “While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure.”
In Michigan, where cases have been concentrated, media reports said notices were posted at some Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants last week telling customers the chain was “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro-Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.”
Illinois
Illinois GOP trails badly in midterm cash
The Illinois Republican Party filed its quarterly campaign finance report on the July 15 deadline. The party reported having just $223K in the bank. The next day, the party sent a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections saying they were “reconciling” their records after a leadership change, and then noted that their actual end balance was $101K higher than it had reported the day before.
But that bit of found money was basically the end of the “good news” for the GOP last week.
Republicans no longer have a pet billionaire. Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin have fled the state. The legions of wealthy business titans who once contributed and raised money have either retired to sunnier climes or passed away. Several prominent party members have publicly shunned labor unions and their hefty political war chests, although the state GOP legislative leaders have at least tried to rebuild ties to trade unions and even the Illinois Education Association. But the heavily gerrymandered legislative map combined with the current political climate means they’ll mostly receive scraps.
And, yes, the House Democrats are struggling this month with scandals, including a state representative who resigned under pressure and another who was indicted. I’m not trying to downplay that at all. But Democrats have the national political environment, the local infrastructure and tons of cash behind them. The Republicans have little to none of that.
The GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, Darren Bailey, raised $1.3 million in the second quarter, which ended June 30. That sounds like a lot, but he spent almost all of that on direct mail fundraising costs. The huge expenditures do give him a prospect list for future fundraising, but he ended the quarter with a mere $128K in the bank. That was still a whole lot more than the rest of the statewide ticket.
Attorney General nominee Bob Fioretti, a perennial candidate, raised $31K, spent $39K and had $28K on hand at the end of the quarter along with almost $15K in recent debt. Secretary of State candidate Diane Harris raised $6K, spent a bit over $4K and had a paltry $1,816.42 in the bank. Treasurer candidate Max Solomon, who ran as a write-in during the primary because the party failed to recruit anyone, raised less than $3K, reported no spending and ended the quarter with less than $8K. Comptroller candidate Bryan Drew raised $30K and received $47K in in-kind contributions from a company owned, ironically, by independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett, spent less than $3K, ended with $54K and had $25K in debt from earlier this year.
Man, that’s just downright pathetic.
But I suppose it doesn’t really matter anyway unless we see a massive sea-change in national opinion in the coming months or the federal government finds a way to not certify certain election results. Regardless of where individual candidates are at this moment, they’ll have the money to compete. Unlike the Republicans, the Dems do have a pet billionaire (JB Pritzker) and, I assume eventually for most of them, organized labor.
The Republican legislative leaders have tried to scrape and claw as much as they can, but they’re vastly outgunned. Senate Republican Leader John Curran raised just $75K in the second quarter. He spent $71K and reported having a bit more than $3 million in the bank. His caucus committee reported having $160K in the bank.
Leader Curran has three Republican-held districts to defend in the Chicago media market that have all trended Democratic in the last three cycles. Depending how bad things get, he could be defending a couple, two or three more.
The Senate Democrats have a ton of money to do whatever they want. Senate President Don Harmon has about $20 million in his personal campaign account and $1.7 million in his caucus account.
Over in the House, Republican Leader Tony McCombie has at least four Democratic-trending or swingy districts to defend and just $1.3 million in her personal campaign account and another $363K in her caucus account so far.
In contrast, House Speaker Chris Welch had $11.4 million in his personal account and $1.2 million in his caucus account. Like Senate President Harmon, he has more than enough money already, but more is never enough when there’s so much out there, so those numbers will likely rise by November.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Illinois
Hillsboro grad, Springfield golfer Alex Eickhoff 2nd at state amateur
BLOOMINGTON — Springfield’s Alex Eickhoff nearly had a magical Thursday as he tied for second place in the 95th annual Illinois State Amateur Championship at Crestwicke Country Club.
Eickhoff, a 2020 Hillsboro High School graduate and former standout on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s men’s golf team, shot a 4-under-par 68 in Thursday’s third round and followed that with an even-par 71 to finish the three-day, four-round event 1-over 285. He tied for second with Bloomington’s Logan Stauffer.
Eickhoff briefly took the lead through nine holes of his fourth round when he sat at 1-under par. Chicago’s Charlie Kulwin finished both of Thursday’s rounds under par and finished 2-under 282. He was the lone golfer to finish under par for the tournament.
Eickhoff was The State Journal-Register’s Small School Boys Golfer of the year twice in his high school career: once as a freshman in 2016-17 and again as a senior in 2019-20. After high school, he golfed for the University of Minnesota for two years before transferring to SIUE.
He began the tournament with a 3-over 74 on Tuesday and shaved off a stroke Wednesday with a 2-over 73. He closed out the event with an even-par 71 in Thursday’s final round.
Other area golfers who made the cut were Springfield’s Charles Hoogland (7-over 291, tied for 20th) and Jacksonville’s Brady Kaufmann (8-over 292, 25th).
The last golfer from The State Journal-Register’s coverage area to win the Illinois State Amateur was Jay Davis. Davis, a Jacksonville Routt graduate, won the 1991 and ‘92 tournaments.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
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