Illinois Democrats got the opponent they wanted for incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday, while state Sen. Darren Bailey won the GOP governing primaries.
The race was called by Bailey with 33% of the vote counted. He had 53.5% of the vote, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan got 16.9% and former Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin with a disappointing 16.5%.
Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, is already a big favorite to win a second term in November. But he and the Association of Democratic Governors spent a lot to help Bailey win the GOP contest, even funding ads that indicated he was “100% pro-life.”
Bailey also raised his statewide profile during the pandemic by opposing Pritzker’s COVID-19 measures, suing the governor for an order to stay home and being escorted out of the Legislature. for refusing to wear a mask.
These stances may have won Bailey the approval of tough Republican voters, but they will be greeted with skepticism or contempt in a state dominated by a very democratic Chicago and its increasingly blue suburbs, and where Democrats control all state offices.
Richard Irvin was elected mayor of Aurora in 2017.AP
Bailey rejected the idea that he cannot win and criticized the “Republicans of the establishment” for having contributed to decades of mismanagement in the state.
“We will send a message to the Republican establishment that we will not be harassed because we sacrifice our principles to choose their candidates,” he told a crowd during a campaign stop in rural Illinois this month.
Irvin, who would have been the first black governor of Lincoln Land, was seen as one of the best candidates when he joined the race, with the financial support of billionaire Ken Griffin worth $ 50 million.
But unlike Bailey and his other four rivals, Irvin avoided talking about abortion or saying whether he voted for Trump, focusing instead on issues like the crime in Chicago and the legislation signed by Pritzker that, according to say, it made it harder for the police. He said he opposes abortion except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mother’s life.
Irvin also argued that he was the only GOP candidate who could beat Pritzker in November because he could win votes from Republicans, independents and some Democrats.
“The reality is that I’m the candidate who can win this race, and that’s why the attacks are approaching,” Irvin said while visiting a manufacturing plant.
Headline JB Pritzker is the favorite in the November election.AP
The other Republican candidates were Sullivan, businessman Gary Rabine, former state Senator Paul Schimpf and attorney Max Solomon.
Illinois is one of several states where Democrats have helped conservative or far-right candidates, betting that they will be easier to defeat in the general election.
In Pennsylvania, for example, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro spent more than six figures on aggregates attacking state Sen. Doug Mastriano during GOP primaries, raising his profile and earning him a nomination.
Some Democrats have warned that the strategy could be counterproductive in a hostile political environment highlighted by rising inflation, including record gas prices.
Pritzker, whose only rival in the Democratic primary is Beverly Miles, has said he is not afraid of any rivals in the face of November.
“I’ll face anyone on the other side of the aisle and we’ll win,” Pritzker said.
With post cables