On the Record: Darren Bailey outlines his priorities for Illinois governor

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.”