Republican Candidates for Illinois Governor Embrace MAGA — Jeopardizing Election Integrity By Refusing to Condemn January 6 Insurrection

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol will begin public hearings today –– and the entire GOP field for Illinois governor has gone full MAGA, still refusing to condemn the deadly attack. None of them will even acknowledge the violent mob that attacked our democracy for what it was: an insurrection.

With just 19 days left until the June 28th primary election, the crowded GOP primary is coming to a head, and it’s no wonder candidates are pandering to the ultra-MAGA right wing to win Trump’s crowning endorsement. Both Darren Bailey — who had a campaign associate arrested for participating in the riots — and Richard Irvin are top contenders vying for the nomination, with recent polls showing extreme conservative Bailey catapulting himself ahead of his competition.

In one of the “debates” held in late May, Max Solomon and Paul Schimpf agreed that the events on January 6th were not an “insurrection.” Irvin, as he does on nearly every issue of substance, floundered. Irvin tried to convince voters that it was “not a yes or no question,” yet new polling shows that most Americans have described the events as an insurrection and feel democracy is under threat rather than secure.

“The Illinois GOP candidates’ loyalty to the Big Lie poses a serious risk to our democratic institutions and jeopardizes the future of Illinois’ free and fair elections,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “With their far-right MAGA agendas and dangerous disregard for voters, these Republicans are a clear and present threat to democracy.”

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