Richard Irvin Does a Complete 180 on COVID Mandates

Irvin Continues to Flip-Flop on Support for Gov. JB Pritzker

Richard Irvin has flip-flopped and contradicted himself on almost every issue since launching his campaign — and now he’s been caught trying to rewrite his record on COVID-19 and mandates.

Irvin has leaned into anti-science talking points since declaring his candidacy in the Illinois GOP primary, hypocritically accusing Gov. Pritzker of inconsistency and claiming in an interview this morning that he has always stood against COVID mandates.

But Irvin’s own words contradict his recent lies. Just two years ago, he called Gov. JB Pritzker’s mitigation efforts “logical.” “I fully support his decision and encourage all Aurorans to abide by this new mandate,” Irvin wrote in a March 20, 2020 Facebook post.

In July of 2020, he implored Aurorans to wear masks, and in September of 2020, he threatened to crack down on businesses that didn’t enforce mask-wearing.

This isn’t the first time Irvin has tried to distance himself from his repeated praise of Gov. Pritzker. As a DGA video highlights, Irvin once lauded Gov. Pritzker as “a great friend, a great leader, who has guided our state with professionalism and compassion throughout this entire pandemic.”

“Richard Irvin’s views on COVID safety measures are based on what’s politically convenient,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Irvin has flip-flopped and failed to answer questions on almost every issue that Illinoisans care about — from Donald Trump to abortion to the pandemic. Irvin even praised Gov. Pritzker, the man he’s now trying to run against. If Irvin doesn’t even know what he stands for, why should anyone vote for him?”

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