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Ill. — Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and his Republican opponent in the governor’s race, Darren Bailey, sought to woo Illinois’ agriculture industry Monday, with Bailey, a veteran farmer, accusing the two-term Democrat of hating President Donald Trump “more than he loves Illinois” and Pritzker blaming the Trump administration for the economic strain on the state’s farmers
Speaking for nearly an hour at an agriculture industry event in rural central Illinois, Pritzker blamed the war in Iran and ongoing trade disputes for driving up the cost of fertilizer, diesel and other farming expenses — but he broke from his usual criticism of Trump to agree with the president’s call for oil companies to return some war-driven profits to consumers
“Strangely, even though everyone else is suffering from all of this, the big oil companies announce that they’re raking in record profits. That’s war profiteering if you ask me. And it’s got to stop. President Trump the other day said that Big Oil should give some of that back to the public. Well, take note of what I’m about to say: I agree with President Trump,” Pritzker said to a few laughs. “That’s why last week I called on the CEOs of the seven biggest, large oil companies in the world to return windfall profits to the people of Illinois.”
The Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable hosted Pritzker, Bailey and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy at the forum, about 140 miles southwest of Chicago. Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, running for U.S. Senate, skipped the event for another engagement in Martha’s Vineyard, drawing criticism from Tracy for what he called a “misplaced priority.”
Historically a strong supporter of Trump, who endorsed his unsuccessful bid for governor against Pritzker in 2022, Bailey told the audience of more than 50 people at the event that he’d speak out “on behalf of agriculture” while defending Trump’s tariffs on imported goods, and said he’d be a governor who works with any president regardless of their party affiliation
“Let’s be honest. We know there’s a problem with JB Pritzker and President Trump. And it’s very obvious that he hates President Trump more than he loves Illinois … These tariffs that came on, yes, we’re farmers. We go out, and we plant our seed, and we put on this expense, (and) then we have to wait … for the harvest. And I do believe that these tariffs that are imposed are, I called it the same from day one as I do now, ‘a short-term pain for a long-term gain,’ and I believe it’s the only tool that we have to get competitive again.”
Bailey faces a steep climb against Pritzker, the billionaire Hyatt Hotels heir, in a state where he must offset his rural advantage with support in Cook and the collar counties. Through June, Pritzker had more than $3.1 million in his campaign account compared with just under $128,000 for Bailey, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections — a gap widened by the absence of ultraconservative donor Richard Uihlein, who bankrolled much of Bailey’s 2022 campaign
With Monday’s event being in rural central Illinois, Bailey already had an inherent advantage since much of the electorate in rural, sparsely populated areas of the state tends to vote Republican. But in order to beat Pritzker, Bailey needs to court enough voters in the heavily Democratic Cook and collar counties
Bailey has continued campaigning while grieving the deaths of his son, daughter-in-law and two of his grandchildren in a helicopter crash last year in Montana, and has reportedly been living part time in Chicago during his second run for governor
At the event, Bailey called for changes to Illinois’ estate tax, which applies to estates worth more than $4 million and affects many farms — an issue Pritzker agreed needs addressing. Bailey also criticized the state’s high property taxes, tying them directly to Pritzker’s policies. At a news conference afterward, he grew emotional discussing his son, Zachary Bailey, who had been considering leaving Illinois before his death
“Thinking back to my son, Zach,” Bailey said. “He was in the process of moving to Florida or Texas, potentially. They were looking into that because of the hardships that Illinois is bringing on business, on the farm, and our schools, on our families. It’s nonsense and it must stop.”
Pritzker, defending his seven-year economic record, pushed back on Bailey’s idea to cap property taxes at 1%
“I know that my opponent says he wants to cap property taxes at 1%. That sounds great. I would love that. Let’s try to do that. Here’s the problem. You have to pay for your parks, your libraries, your … schools and … your local government,” said Pritzker at a news conference after his appearance. “I’ve increased massively the amount of money going to those agencies, local agencies.”
In the Senate race, Tracy — a Springfield lawyer and co-owner, with his siblings, of Dot Foods — faces long odds against Stratton given the state’s Democratic lean and her financial edge. Stratton had nearly $4.2 million in her campaign account through June, compared with a little over $374,000 for Tracy, the former state Republican Party chairman, according to the Federal Election Commission
With Stratton not in attendance at Monday’s event, Tracy used the forum to introduce himself to the crowd
“I don’t see Illinois ag as an industry that needs saving by Washington, D.C. I see some of the most innovative, productive, resilient people in America,” Tracy told the crowd, referring to farmers. “That makes D.C’.s job pretty simple. Just give farmers a fair shot, get unnecessary obstacles out of the way like excess regulation, open the doors to equal opportunity … and let Illinois farmers do what they’ve been doing for (generations), feed the country and the world. Food security is national security.”
Afterward, Tracy needled Stratton over her absence. “I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just couldn’t find her way to McLean County,” he said in a joking tone. “If I were a Chicago Democrat trying to run statewide and win, and not just one county, I would certainly not ignore a part of the state that I don’t know and understand.”
The Stratton campaign said the lieutenant governor was in Martha’s Vineyard for “a number of events,” including a worship service led by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who is also a pastor, and “to support a fundraiser” for the Democratic National Committee. The campaign said she plans to meet with the Illinois Farm Bureau and other agricultural events next week
“Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton has been a strong advocate for Illinois’s farms and farmers, having served the entire state for the past seven years and chairing the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, and she will continue partnering with the agriculture industry in Washington,” her Senate campaign said in a statement
Independent candidate Collin Corbett of Palatine criticized the event organizers for excluding him from the forum. “Excluding the independent candidate from this major policy forum denies Illinois farmers, rural communities, and voters a real choice,” Corbett said in a statement. “Our agriculture industry faces serious challenges, from soaring input costs to the need to protect our farmland. These serious challenges deserve a serious discussion.”
A spokesperson for the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable said the group has “a long-standing policy that only candidates from established political parties are invited.”
