Republican Day at Illinois State Fair showcases GOP ticket

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  —  Farmer turned State Senator Darren Bailey brought his “fire J.B. Pritzker” message to the Illinois State Fair.

“Our home’s in trouble thanks to fat cat leaders like Joe Biden and J.B. Pritzker,” Bailey said.

Bailey, who is reportedly a millionaire, says Governor Pritzker, a billionaire, doesn’t understand the plight of working people.

“He’s never woken up in the middle of the night, worrying about keeping a job or managing payroll,” Bailey said. “He’s never had to choose between filling his car up with gas or putting food on the table.”

Since securing the nomination in June, Bailey seemed to be softening his anti-Chicago rhetoric. On Thursday, an about-face, as the GOP candidate doubled down.

“In Chicago, a once great city, well, it didn’t become a hellhole just because of Lori Lightfoot and Kim Foxx,” Bailey said. “Starting with J.B. Pritzker, our leaders are all in cahoots. They’re knee-deep in corruption and they don’t care about the working people like you and I. They’ve proven that.”

Less than three months before the election, Bailey is desperately trying to fill up his campaign coffers and bring skeptical establishment Republicans onboard.

WGN News asked House GOP Leader Jim Durkin if he would support Bailey on Election Day.

“I’m supporting Republicans up and down the ballot,” he answered.

WGN News asked State Rep. Avery Bourne, “Are you going to do everything you can to elect Darren Bailey?”

‘I’m doing everything I can to elect Republicans up and down the ticket,” Bourne replied.

Lt. Governor candidate Stephanie Trussell took questions for the first time since a social media post about DNA readers on bathrooms surfaced. Trussell responded, “I’ve been on Facebook for a long time. I post a lot of things. I hope you guys talk about all the great food I post that my husband cooks.”

Bailey was the star of Republican Day, but the party showed off the rest of its ticket, including Kathy Salvi, who is facing Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate.

“I’m pro-life,” Salvi said. “I’m happy to say I have my entire life.”

Also, on Thursday, the Pritzker campaign agreed to two Nexstar debates in October, set to be held at WGN-TV studios. The Bailey campaign has yet to confirm.