McLean County farm hosts IFB Candidates’ Roundtable

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia). (Photo courtesy Kent Casson/Central Illinois Farm Network)

By Dave Dahl

LEXINGTON – The candidates for the two top offices on the ballot this November – U.S. Senate and governor – presented their views in separate speeches in Lexington Wednesday. The Schuler Farms in McLean County hosted the Illinois Farm Bureau Candidates’ Roundtable.

The city of Chicago has become the OK Corral, with shootouts and homicides every night,” said Bailey. “These people don’t feel safe, especially on the South Side, where it is being ignored.”

Gov. JB Pritzker. (Photo courtesy Kent Casson/Central Illinois Farm Network)

“He’s not bringing this state forward,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in his remarks later. “He doesn’t understand this is one Illinois.”

The U.S. Senate candidates, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Kathy Salvi, had their turns earlier Wednesday. Not surprisingly, fuel was a major topic.

“I pushed back against both the Trump administration and the Biden administration when they’ve tried to lower ethanol requirements,” said Duckworth, “because it doesn’t matter to me whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, because I will always do whatever I can to uphold the promises we’ve made to farmers.”

Salvi’s main point against Duckworth is that she is too close to President Biden.

The Inflation Reduction Act puts a 14.5 percent tax on imported oil, “Salvi said, “because on Day One of the Biden administration, which, by the way, Tammy Duckworth has nearly 100 percent of the time – they have been at war with fossil fuels.”

Salvi referred to Democrats Duckworth and President Joe Biden as “blamethrowers.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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