Bailey Digs in Heels on Harmful COVID Policies at GOP Gubernatorial Debate

Just weeks after the pandemic death toll surpassed one million in the United States alone, Darren Bailey dug in his heels on his far-right extremist views on COVID-19 at tonight’s GOP gubernatorial debate, saying: “I’m the only person standing in this circle right now that actually did something [by] suing Governor Pritzker over these mandates and winning…so absolutely no mandates.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Bailey has made a name for himself by flagrantly fighting Governor Pritzker’s commonsense mitigation efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. He was kicked out of the legislative session for refusing to wear a mask on the Senate floor, and even went so far as to sue Governor Pritzker for his COVID-19 mandates.

“Throughout the pandemic, far-right extremist candidate Darren Bailey has consistently been on the wrong side of history. His comments at tonight’s debate were no different,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “A Governor Darren Bailey is a danger to Illinoisans everywhere. Illinois voters know he’s too extreme for our state.”