SPRINGFIELD — A year after Darren Bailey drove into an Illinois State Fair Republican Day rally on a tractor, the former gubernatorial nominee now seeking a seat in Congress hovered in the back of a crowd as he watched fellow Republicans vow to rebuild and unite after bruising losses last year.
Reporters had to look for Bailey to find him. And there were no “Bailey for Congress” signs on the state fairgrounds — a taboo since the downstate farmer is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in southern Illinois’ 12th District.
There were other taboos on Thursday, as all Republicans given time on the stage to celebrate their day at the fair steered clear of delving into the political impact of former President Donald Trump’s fourth criminal indictment.
Bailey showed no such hesitation when talking with reporters.
Asked if he was once again seeking Trump’s endorsement, the former state senator called the GOP presidential frontrunner “a very smart man.”
“He knows what he’s going to do, but I support him 100%,” Bailey said of Trump. Bailey, who said he hasn’t yet asked the former president for an endorsement, called Trump’s four indictments “bogus” and a “complete witch hunt.”
“We need more attorneys general across the United States actually filing indictments against Joe Biden and many of the other people in office,” Bailey said. “So, this is wrong what’s going on.”
Bost, Bailey’s GOP primary target, did not attend Republican Day events at the fair. Trump also endorsed the incumbent congressman in his reelection bid last year.
Bailey’s low-key appearance on the state fairgrounds followed Illinois Republicans’ vows to gear up support in the Chicago suburbs ahead of next year’s elections and combat Democratic voter turnout by embracing early voting and vote-by-mail.
That’s a reversal of sorts from 2020, when Trump denounced mail voting as a Democratic tool to steal elections — offering no evidence to support the claim.
At the official rally on the Director’s Lawn, Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, addressed Pritzker’s remarks a day earlier accusing Republicans of persuading GOP voters to “believe their lies.”
“The problem is that here in Illinois, we have a low tolerance for bull----,” Pritzker said on Wednesday.
“Democrats’ tolerance for bull—— might be low, but their tolerance for corruption is apparently sky high,” McCombie said Thursday to cheers from fellow Republicans. “They’re huddled up right now on yet another trial brought on by bribery, lying and self-interest.”
That was a reference to former Democratic House Speaker Mike Madigan’s former chief of staff Tim Mapes, who is on trial in federal court, charged with lying to a grand jury and trying to block the probe of Madigan and another Springfield insider, Michael McClain.
Earlier Thursday, state GOP Chairman Don Tracy vowed the party must beat President Joe Biden in 2024 and Pritzker in 2026. Speaking at the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee & County Chairmen’s Association breakfast, Tracy kept his focus largely on local elections, calling Chicago “a great city with lousy governance.”
Last year, Illinois Republicans were walloped in the general election after embracing Bailey at the top of the ticket — opting to support the far-right, Trump-endorsed candidate over more moderate primary options. Pritzker’s spending in the Republican primary helped to boost Bailey, whom the Democratic governor saw as a weaker challenger. Democrats also added numbers to their supermajority in the Illinois House.
This year, Tracy acknowledged the party is rebuilding and rethinking its strategy. He also said the party is boosting its team with a get-out-the-vote director to work with local parties to “spread the message and to provide guidance.” Later at the rally, Tracy admitted he’s spending a lot of time in Chicago “because that’s where the votes are.”
“If we’re going to win again in Illinois, we have got to make more of a dent in Chicago. Get above 20%, 25%, and we’ve got to win back the suburbs,” Tracy said. “So we’re focusing on that this year.”
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., did not mention Trump in his breakfast or rally addresses. LaHood, endorsed by Trump last year, said he’s focusing, instead, on holding the Biden administration accountable.
Without mentioning the Republican presidential frontrunner’s name, LaHood said simply, “We have to fire Joe Biden and take back the presidency in 2024. For me, if I look at 2024, it’s about winning. That’s what we have to be focused on. Politics is about the future, not about the past.”
Asked later about his comments, LaHood said, “I want a winner for 2024,” while steering clear of who he’ll support for president. He called the GOP presidential field a “deep diverse field” and pivoted to the Hunter Biden investigations when asked if the party would be served better with a nominee other than Trump.
“As a former federal prosecutor, I believe in the rule of law but, I don’t believe in the unequal application of the law, and that’s what I think has happened,” LaHood said. He called questions about whether Trump will negatively affect Republican candidates “hypotheticals.”
The two top Republicans in the General Assembly both spoke of their frustrations over the focus on Trump’s latest indictment. And they spoke of the need for practical policies.
Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said most voters “don’t want the extreme, expensive, unsafe policies being shoved down their throats by the Democratic majorities in this state.”
“It is up to us to show them another way,” he said. “I believe we have a great opportunity over the next few years to strengthen the GOP in Illinois by bringing in new voters and bringing back those who have gone astray.”
His counterpart in the House deflected reporters’ questions about Trump.
“I’m always so curious as to why is it always about Donald Trump?” McCombie asked after the GOP breakfast. “Here we are in Illinois. Let’s talk about Illinois.”
Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout
