By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – The day after the second and final debate for the gubernatorial campaign Tuesday, State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) allowed himself a victory lap. He greeted supporters Wednesday at the Pizza Ranch, a Springfield buffet.
Speaking to reporters outside the restaurant, Bailey found it easy to run down Gov. JB Pritzker, suggesting his time in office has transformed Illinois into a postapocalyptic, dystopian hellscape. “JB wants to contend that what he’s done has been amazing? And the next four years are going to be better?” asked Bailey. “I can’t fathom what the next four years are going to be like under Pritzker. Every state agency is an absolute failure. Our education is a mess. JB Pritzker’s decimated it for four years.”
During the debate, Bailey said his approach to “zero-based budgeting” would be to get rid of all of the agency directors Pritzker hired.
When pressed by one reporter, Bailey couldn’t or wouldn’t name any schools teaching “critical race theory,” which he contends the governor has even “injected” into state employees.
And, in case you missed it, Bailey’s new name for Chicago is “Pritzkerville,” a name the governor laughingly endorsed in the post-debate “spin room,” a ritual Baliey skipped for the second straight time.
Bailey arrived in Springfield in a dark red vest, apparently not having time yet to go suit-shopping with Pritzker – another of Bailey’s lines Tuesday night.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
