Illinois GOP Race for Governor Remains Total Toss-up as Chicago Tribune Endorses Paul Schimpf in Republican Primary

This morning, the Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Board endorsed candidate Paul Schimpf in the GOP primary for Illinois governor, leaving the Republican nomination fully up for grabs.

Recent polling has shown an increasingly tight race with candidates Richard Irvin and Darren Bailey neck and neck. With just four weeks to go until the primary and more than one third of voters undecided, this big endorsement for Schimpf shows the party is far from standing unified behind one nominee.

In their endorsement of Schimpf, the Tribune Ed Board elaborated on the “troubling issues” they saw with both Irvin and Bailey.

The Board expressed their concern with Irvin’s promises that charges against his then-girlfriend “would be taken care of” after she was accused of hitting a security guard at a marijuana store last year, as well as his “frequent reticence when it comes to being frank with the media.”

The Board also hit Irvin on his unwillingness to declare where he stands on Trump, saying if he is going to separate himself he should “find the courage to say so, clearly, without weaving and dodging, flip-flopping and hedging his bets.”

On Bailey, they said: “We reject [Bailey’s] dangerous, divisive talk and we argue it disqualifies Bailey…Our values have far more in common than Bailey seems to think.”

“This new endorsement throws the GOP race for Illinois governor into even further disarray,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “With just four weeks to go, the race is still a total toss-up. But no matter which candidate clinches the nomination, voters know that none of these candidates have Illinoisans’ best interests at heart.”