Chicago, Ill. – Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s campaign criticized Republican Darren Bailey Tuesday for skipping a GOP gubernatorial debate in Chicago, as a separate polling memo circulated claiming Bailey holds a wide early lead in the Republican primary.
In a statement released by the “JB & Christian for Illinois” campaign, spokesperson Alex Gough said Bailey did not attend the debate and accused him of avoiding scrutiny. The statement described the event as featuring “three ILGOP gubernatorial candidates polling below 10 percent” and said Bailey “skipped the debate entirely.”
The campaign statement included sharp language about the debate and Bailey’s record, while also arguing Pritzker is focused on issues including costs, schools and the economy.
Separately, a “GOP Primary” polling memo from Louisville, Illinois, said internal polling of likely Republican primary voters shows Bailey as the “clear frontrunner” in the Illinois Republican primary for governor. The memo said Bailey has a “commanding 49-point lead” and a “59% favorable image,” and argued his support reflects voter priorities such as affordability, public safety, education and government accountability.
In a poll snapshot included in the memo, Bailey was listed at 57%, followed by Heidner at 9%, Dabrowski at 8%, Mendrick at 4%, and Undecided at 23%.
The memo said Osage Research conducted the survey of 412 likely Republican primary voters in Illinois using live phone calls and text-to-web interviews. It reported a margin of error of plus or minus 5.66 percentage points for a Republican oversample and said quotas were set for age, gender and geography.
The memo also noted the Republican primary election is Tuesday, March 17.
Neither document provided details on who commissioned the internal poll. Pritzker is seeking reelection with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.
