KEEPING COUNT: 7 Days Since Richard Irvin Abandoned Downstate Voters

It’s been seven days since gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin abandoned downstate voters in the final stretch leading up to the primary. One week ago, Irvin stopped running ads outside of the Chicago media market after reportedly admitting he can’t be himself downstate. With just two weeks left until the primary, Irvin’s pulling a hail mary — but voters aren’t buying it.

Not one but two new polls show Irvin down to uber-conservative extremist Darren Bailey by nearly a 2:1 ratio — and with early voting already underway, that’s the nail in the coffin for Richard Irvin’s failed run for governor.

Looks like ducking, dodging, and deflecting on the issues most important to voters doesn’t win them over. Even $50 million from billionaire megadonor Ken Griffin and months of campaigning couldn’t keep Irvin’s sinking campaign afloat.

“With far-right extremist Darren Bailey surging in the polls, the Irvin campaign is grasping at straws to reinvent itself and is ditching downstate voters in the process,” said DGA Illinois Press Secretary Yael Sheinfeld. “We already knew Irvin wasn’t interested in being a governor for all of Illinois. Now, voters know it, too — and they won’t forget at the ballot box.”