Governor’s race shifts south: Trump backs Bailey as Pritzker protests convention
(The Center Square) – The Illinois gubernatorial race took to Texas last week, as both incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker and GOP candidate Darren Bailey appeared in Dallas during the first midterm Republican National Convention, both critical of the other’s trip to the Lone Star State.
Fifty days out from election day, Bailey told The Center Square his goal was to use the unconventional convention to meet new donors and gain a better understanding of policies that his administration could borrow from red states.
“Our intent was to meet potential donors, meet people and get other ideas from other states – Florida, Texas, Tennessee – to understand thoroughly how things really are going,” Bailey said.
But after Bailey returned to Illinois, he again received President Donald Trump’s endorsement Sunday – when he was asked about his upcoming visit to Illinois for the PGA President’s Cup at Medinah Country Club.
“You look at what’s happening with crime, J.B. Pritzker should lose. For some reason, Democrats win there, I don’t know why. But Bailey is a very good candidate,” Trump said. “I’ve already endorsed him. I’m all in for Bailey.”
Pritzker made his trip just before the two-night convention’s start, joining Texas Democrats for a news conference, focusing on the Trump administration and Democrats’ midterm goals.
Bailey said the governor was there angling for his rumored 2028 presidential run.
“He should have had his butt in the governor’s seat fixing Illinois. But he refuses to do that because we all know what this is about,” Bailey said. “This is what Pritzker likes to distract from. The fact that our problems that we’re living under in Illinois, most of them are going to be fixed at the state level. J.B. Pritzker is focusing on DC because he’s planning on running for president.”
When Donald Trump calls, Darren Bailey comes running. https://t.co/22eYQ89Gmw— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) September 11, 2026
Pritzker criticized Bailey in an X post for sitting in the president’s box Thursday, after previously distancing himself from some of Trump’s policies. Pritzker’s campaign sent out additional material after Trump re-endorsed his opponent.
Looks like Darren Bailey is also sitting in Donald Trump’s box at the RNC in Dallas tonight https://t.co/iKUmiy9uY3— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) September 11, 2026
Bailey said he was “honored” to be there.
“We were representing Illinois. They would funnel people from different states in and out of there throughout the term,” Bailey said. “He’s creating a divide that has divided us here in Illinois and he wishes that same divide to be across this nation. So, it was an absolute honor to be there.”
Pritzker’s campaign questioned if Bailey paid to attend the event, as some attendees paid nearly $90,000 for a photo with Trump, while the party later held a raffle for front-row tickets to the event, which Pritzker’s campaign said was to fill “thousands of empty seats.”
Bailey, meanwhile, questioned how much, if any, it cost taxpayers to bring security and other staff on his Dallas visit.
If Bailey’s campaign had to pay to attend the convention, it’ll be required to be reported in the next round of campaign disclosures by Oct. 15.
Sunny
