Staff Reports
Darren Bailey’s campaign kickoff in Oak Brook this week was unmistakable proof that the grassroots are not done fighting for Illinois. The former state senator left his farm to declare a second run for governor, rolling out a three-stop launch that included a high-energy appearance at The Drake and a promise to make affordability and safety the centerpiece of his message. Voters fed up with high taxes and out-of-touch elites finally have a fighter willing to challenge the status quo in Springfield.
Bailey didn’t come to play nice with the political class; he picked Cook County Republican leader Aaron Del Mar as his running mate and made clear this campaign will actually engage Chicago and the suburbs rather than lecture them from a billionaire’s yacht. His message is simple and patriotic: Illinois families are drowning under taxes and runaway regulations while opportunities vanish and kids leave the state. That reality check is exactly what millions of hard-working Illinoisans have been begging for.
Predictably, the usual left-wing operatives showed up to shout and smear instead of offering solutions, proving once again that the Democrats’ instinct is to demonize opponents rather than fix problems. Their national allies have already labeled Bailey “extreme” and painted him as a threat to working people, the same tired playbook designed to bully hardworking families into silence. Conservative candidates who actually stand up for family values and economic common sense shouldn’t be surprised when the political machines resort to character assassination instead of debate.
The backdrop to Bailey’s announcement is a country on edge after a wave of brazen political violence that has shocked Americans across the spectrum — a grim reminder that leadership matters. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event shocked the nation and turned the conversation to the dangerous rancor in our public life. Conservatives who defend the rule of law and demand an end to political violence aren’t some fringe faction; they’re the voice of Americans who want safety, order, and accountability.
Illinois is also bleeding from another front: violent crime and a collapsing sense of public safety in neighborhoods that are ignored by career politicians. Over the recent Labor Day weekend, Chicago recorded dozens shot and multiple lives lost, a brutal statistic that should shame every official who treats the city as a photo op. While Pritzker posts polished early-morning videos and lectures from protective entourages, families in hard-hit neighborhoods are watching their communities erode and waiting for leaders who will actually secure streets, not just stage them.
When the federal government raised the possibility of sending additional assets to Chicago, the state’s leaders reflexively rejected help — prioritizing political theater over people. Bailey has signaled what every sensible patriot already knows: when violence spikes, you work with any administration willing to protect Americans, regardless of party. That practical, people-first attitude stands in stark contrast to the performative resistance from career Democrats who put narratives above neighbors.
Most important, Bailey is asking Illinoisans not to abandon their homes and heritage — he’s calling on them to fight for the state their parents and grandparents defended. With people fleeing to Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, Bailey’s message is clear and unashamedly American: don’t surrender your home to corrupt, out-of-touch rulers. The campaign’s focus on cutting burdensome taxes, restoring opportunity, and keeping families together is exactly the kind of common-sense conservatism that can reverse Illinois’ decline.
The energy inside Bailey’s events told the real story: ordinary citizens — teachers, nurses, small-business owners, moms and dads — showed up to cheer a candidate who talks like them and fights for them. Meanwhile, outside the halls, professional activists spread canned lines about “anti-women” rhetoric that ring hollow next to the faces of women in pink shirts and the everyday families Bailey vows to defend. This campaign pits elite money and media narratives against people who work before sunrise and deserve leaders who do the same.
Make no mistake: this campaign is a choice between billionaire governance that sidelines working people and leadership that understands sacrifice, faith, and family. Bailey’s team is promising a return to economic common sense, neighborhood safety, and respect for parents and taxpayers — a real roadmap to restore the Land of Lincoln. If Illinois patriots want their state back, Darren Bailey just offered them a battle plan, and the fight to save our communities has officially begun.
