Bailey pledges to lead Illinois with integrity
Published 11:37 am Saturday, August 8, 2026
QUINCY — Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey (R), visiting the offices of The Quincy Herald-Whig, pledged to lead the state with integrity should he prove successful in defeating JB Pritzker in the November elections.
“Since I started running,” he said, “I don’t think anybody can look at me and say, you know, I didn’t believe in what I was fighting for, and I didn’t hold true to those values.” He sees such integrity as key to return Illinois to greatness.
Bailey describes affordability as the issue that has risen to the top of people’s concerns, with taxes too high and the cost of living higher than nearby states.
“Our friends in Chicago, they’re suffocating because of affordability,” he says.
As the other main pillars of his campaign, he cites public safety and improvements in education.
Bailey was not specific about where he might be willing to make cuts in the state budget, but spoke more in broad terms, saying that “the money is there” and complaining of a “complete mismanagement of people’s money.”
In terms of federal funds, he argues that Pritzker has been leaving billions on the table, refusing to account for where state and federal money has gone in the past, and, as a result, “penalizing our children, our schools, and many other needs throughout this state by not applying for that money.”
“It’s obvious he’s running for president,” Bailey asserts. “When he does, there’s going to be a void there that’s going to have to be, you know, made up immediately.”
This is Bailey’s second attempt to defeat Pritzker. In 2022, he lost by over 12 points. He says that he learned a lot from the earlier defeat.
“I carried social issues to the forefront the first time,” he explained, “and those issues divide us—they’re not 80/20 issues. And I realized that, okay, we’ve got to park that because we’ve got to get along first and understand each other… So what are those issues? They’re affordability—the property tax, gas tax, energy costs… just the cost of living.”
On this basis, he rates his chances much better in November.
“If losing an election in 2022 disqualifies me from, you know, running for office again statewide, well then we would never know an Abraham Lincoln or a Ronald Reagan,” he observes.
Bailey also points to his secret weapon—his wife, Cindy, who joined the interview.
“Having a governor with a life partner like that makes all the difference in the world because, you know, as I travel and we hear problems, and sometimes she picks up on things that I didn’t hear. Sometimes I have ideas and I bounce them off of of her.”
Concluding, Bailey stated, “So to the voters, I just, I implore them: Get registered to vote, show up to vote, bring everyone you know, make sure people—let’s have a large turnout, let’s get Illinois back on the right track.”
The general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Governor Pritzker, running alongside Christian Mitchell, will face Republican nominee Bailey, alongside Aaron Del Mar. Additional third-party and independent candidates are Griselda Romero (Green Party), Gary Pierce (Independence Party), and Collin Corbett (Independent).
