CHICAGO — On Tuesday, GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey attacked Pritzker over DCFS. Wednesday, he raised crime.
Standing with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, Bailey hammered Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor J.B. Pritzker for the pandemic-era uptick in violent crime.
“These men and women who serve in law enforcement, they’re heroes,” Bailey said. “Unfortunately, Mayor Lightfoot, Governor J.B. Pritzker and the other elite radicals in our state see our police members as the enemy.”
Bailey backs legislation highly unlikely to pass with Democrats holding supermajorities in the legislature. Specifically, he wants to reinstate the death penalty for cop killers and repeal of the SAFE-T Act, which includes an end to cash bail beginning in January.
“The same so-called reform package makes it harder to charge murder accomplices and allows for anonymous and unsworn complaints to be filed against law enforcement officers,” Bailey said.
Bailey also vows to invest more in training and staffing for police. But this spring Bailey, a state senator, voted against the state operating budget which included money for body camera grants and other law enforcement investments.
As he stresses the law and order theme, Bailey has remained silent about former President Donald Trump’s role on Jan 6. Days before the primary, Trump endorsed Bailey. Now in general election mode, Bailey doesn’t want to discuss Trump.
Instead, he focused on party unity. But a group of ultraconservatives aligned with Bailey are calling on the state GOP to censure Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. They’re outraged at his comments during the House Jan 6th Committee hearings.
Tuesday, Bailey refused to say whether Kinzinger should be censured.
“I have dealt with Adam Kinzinger on my own. I’ve made my statements. I don’t agree with anything Adam Kinzinger stands for,” Bailey said.
