MOORE’S SUMMARY: President Trump’s itinerary this weekend did not include a check-in with Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey, whom he endorsed earlier this month over frequent foe, incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
The Republican gubernatorial nominee confirmed their paths did not cross this weekend in an interview with me and my colleague Ben Szalinski in Springfield on Monday. Trump made his first visit to the Land of Lincoln of his second term on Sunday, a fly-in appearance at the final round of the President’s Cup at Medinah Country Club.
Bailey told us Trump’s endorsement was “unexpected” but he’s “glad to have it.”
“I mean, who wouldn’t want to have the endorsement of a sitting president, first of all? But second of all, it helps me refocus and helps people realize… the difference between state government and federal government,” Bailey told us.
WHY IT MATTERS: This has long been Bailey’s contention: Washington is Washington, and Springfield is Springfield, and he’s running for governor, not president, so it should be a choice between him and Pritzker independent of Trump.
It’s a necessary distinction to try and make as Trump remains deeply unpopular in Illinois, something Bailey even acknowledged to us
“For reasons we read every day, they don’t like President Trump,” Bailey said of Illinois voters. “But they obviously, for what we’re feeling in Illinois, they’re not approving of JB Pritzker.”
We’ll find out if they approve of Pritzker in five weeks’ time. It goes without saying, but Bailey is considered the heavy underdog.
PRE-ELECTION CHATTER: As was the case four years ago, there’s pre-election chatter in some political circles that Bailey may be lining up a run for Congress should he lose in November. Bailey launched an ultimately unsuccessful 2024 GOP primary campaign against incumbent Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, after losing to Pritzker the first time. It’s unclear if Bost will run again in 2028. Either way, Bailey’s not thinking that far ahead.
“I truly believe that we’re going to wind up with a victory on November 3 most underestimated race in the nation, and that’s going to put Illinois on the map,” Bailey said.
COMING UP: Ben and I will have a full story from our Bailey interview, so stay tuned. We plan to sit down with all the candidates for statewide constitutional office ahead of the election. Here’s our story on independent candidate Collin Corbett and on the race to succeed Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
