Republican candidate Darren Bailey poses for a photo with a supporter. | Darren Bailey for Governor Facebook
Republican candidate Darren Bailey poses for a photo with a supporter. | Darren Bailey for Governor Facebook
Recent polling shows the difference between incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) in single-digits.
“Our internal polling shows this race is much closer than being reported by the mainstream media.” Bailey's campaign manager Jose Durbin said. "No one will outwork Darren Bailey and our team; we are within a few points and closing the polling gap like a freight train.”
An NBC Chicago report showed Bailey closing what was once a 22-point gap to 9 points with just under two weeks before Election Day.
“Darren Bailey meets with thousands of people weekly to earn their trust and vote," Durbin said. "We’ve been on the ground and know our grassroots movement will outperform poll numbers. J.B. Pritzker has governed like a tyrant pushing extreme policies that have made our streets unsafe while decimating our schools and economy. Working people, parents, students, and everyone who has been ignored the last four years are ready for a Governor who will fight for them. Darren Bailey is focused on making Illinois safer and more affordable for everyone, and we are confident we will win on election day.”
A poll conducted Oct. 13-14 by Osage Research showed Bailey and Pritzker virtually tied. Of 600 likely voters, 42% said they would vote for Bailey while 44% said they would vote for Pritzker again. With a +/-4% deviation, Bailey and the incumbent Democrat are in a statistical tie, according to Prairie State Wire.
A Tulchin Research poll taken earlier this year found that voters in an undisclosed Chicago suburb moved their support from Pritzker to Bailey. Crime was the top issue voiced by respondents, Chicago City Wire reported.
Bailey's campaign said Bailey "is grounded in the conservative values of hard work, individual liberty, and social responsibility. He knows that these precious freedoms are threatened everyday by big government and powerful career politicians.”
Bailey's campaign website describes Bailey as a proud third-generation farmer, "who understands the people who courageously persevere and do backbreaking work to earn an honest living because he experienced and learned that at a young age growing up on their family's farm."
Born and raised in Louisville, Bailey owns and operates with his sons the Bailey Family Farm.
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