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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – We are one week away from the midterm elections, and candidates for the top job in Illinois are making their last pitches to voters. Darren and Cindy Bailey stopped in Springfield Tuesday, while Gov. JB Pritzker picked up another endorsement.
It is rare to see the spouse of a political candidate hold their own press conference, but Cindy Bailey stood alongside central Illinois supporters to denounce Pritzker campaign ads and mailers about her husband’s views on women.
Darren Bailey has said God intended the family unit to be headed by the dad and that a woman’s place is in the home. However, Cindy told reporters in Springfield that Pritzker is trying to frighten women by making Darren into something he isn’t.
“You are asking women to believe that Darren would take away their voice,” Cindy said. “Well, I have never once had to ask for my husband’s permission to speak.”
Cindy said she wishes the governor would focus on debating the state’s issues with Darren rather than attacking his character.
Yet, thousands of voters are already making their voices heard by voting early, and Pritzker continues to pick up new endorsements, including the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and United Auto Workers. The Democrat said he is proud to have been in the trenches fighting for better benefits and wages for unions.
“We made Illinois the first state in the entire nation to pass a constitutional amendment banning those terrible anti-union right-to-work laws, and we guaranteed your right to organize a union and bargain for better wages,” Pritzker said Sunday.
Bailey has spent a significant amount of time in the Chicagoland area this election compared to his first run for governor. Still, the GOP candidate said he is making stops across the state this week urging people to get out and vote.
“There’s one county down south we won 97% of the vote,” Bailey said. “When I asked them what the voter turnout was, it was 51%. So, we have got to get that turnout 60% TO 70%.”
Independent candidate Collin Corbett has been holding town-hall events in the Chicago suburbs over the past week. He said the cost of living is too expensive in Illinois, and people should vote independent to address property taxes and other issues.
“Instead of solving the problem, JB Pritzker just points fingers,” Corbett said. “We have a plan to lower property taxes in Illinois. In fact, we’re the only campaign with a plan.”