Staff Reports
Darren Bailey’s long-anticipated jump back into the Illinois governor’s race came with a clear, unapologetic choice: Cook County Republican chairman Aaron Del Mar as his running mate. The announcement this week crystallizes a hard-right offensive that refuses to surrender the suburbs or the soul of downstate Illinois to the same political class that has pillaged our tax base and trashed public safety.
Del Mar didn’t come aboard quietly — he hit the airwaves with blunt accusations that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has one eye on national celebrity while Illinois families pay the price. Conservative outlets and campaign operatives have seized on Pritzker’s high-profile routines and media-friendly moments as evidence that the governor is polishing a national image for a possible 2028 run, and Del Mar is right to call out political theater when real problems fester at home.
That critique isn’t idle partisan chatter; it’s an indictment of governance. Bailey and Del Mar are painting a vivid picture of a billionaire governor who governs for Manhattan and Marin County donors rather than for the taxpayers of Peoria and East St. Louis, and they’re making affordability and accountability the centerpieces of a campaign rooted in real-world pain. Mainstream coverage of the launch shows this ticket is trying to turn growing voter disgust into a disciplined strategy.
On elections, Del Mar moved from talk to action — launching an election integrity effort to recruit and place Republican election judges in Chicago and Cook County precincts. That’s not paranoia; it’s a practical response to how the game is played in Democratic strongholds, and Del Mar’s plan aims to ensure Republicans have boots on the ground to protect ballots and restore confidence in a system corrupted by complacency.
The urgency of that strategy is rooted in real shifts at the ballot box. What used to be monolithic Democratic wards have shown cracks — President Trump made unexpected inroads in multiple Chicago wards in 2024 — proof that Democrats can be vulnerable when voters feel ignored on taxes, safety, and schools. Republicans smelled opportunity in those precinct gains and Del Mar’s team is determined to convert them into lasting political change.
Public safety is where this ticket’s rhetoric meets raw reality: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s now-infamous comments about law enforcement being a “sickness” struck a raw nerve with rank-and-file officers and citizens alike, and Chicago’s police force has bled officers for years under policies that punish defenders and coddle criminals. The result is emptied beats, roving disorder, and neighborhoods that no longer resemble the communities families once trusted to keep them safe.
Meanwhile, the political calculus in Chicago and Springfield has been to posture rather than partner when federal help is offered; that’s a moral failure. Bailey’s camp argues — and many outside observers agree — that politics should never trump safety, and any administration worthy of the name would accept resources that protect citizens, regardless of the White House occupant. The contrast between career politicking and concrete action will be a central battleground.
Del Mar’s three pillars — affordability, public safety, and education — are deliberately simple because simplicity wins where bureaucrats have failed. Illinois families don’t need more slogans from wealthy insiders; they need lower taxes, safer streets, and schools that teach reading and math instead of woke ideology. That pragmatic pitch is what Bailey and Del Mar will hammer on the stump as Democrats continue to offer excuses.
Geography matters in politics, and Del Mar’s playbook recognizes that every county is winnable if you stop writing off voters. Republicans can claw back suburban townships and mobilize rural and southern counties while making targeted gains inside the city — the 2024 returns show it’s possible when you actually contest neighborhoods Democrats take for granted. This is grassroots organizing, not hand-wringing.
Illinois has been made a laboratory of arrogance for too long, where governors treat the state like a stepping stone to higher office while families and small businesses drain away. Bailey and Del Mar promise to put Illinois first; whether voters will have the courage to reject the same tired class of political elites and elect leaders who will fight for working families remains the looming question of 2026. The stakes could not be higher, and conservatives ought to be ready to go to work.
