EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Governor J.B. Pritzker’s multi-day tour across Illinois to try and win a third term in office made a stop in central Illinois on Saturday.
Pritzker’s “Fighting for You” tour came to East Peoria on its 4th day, stopping at the Carpenters Local 237 union hall.
The campaign rally featured the heads of the Democrat Parties of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and Stark Counties. Featured speakers include Lieutenant Gov. candidate Christian Mitchell, State Comptroller candidate Margaret Croke, State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), and State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria).
Pritzker spoke last after receiving glowing praise from the speakers that came before him. The governor spoke about how the carpenters union was the first to back him in his initial runs for governor in 2018, and added that Peoria was an area that welcomed him and was kind to him in his campaigns.
Pritzker touted some of the accomplishments in his first two terms; infrastructure and road work improvements with the McClugage Bridge, adding jobs by citing Damera coming to the Peoria area, and balanced budgets and improved credit ratings.
It did not take long after for Pritzker to bash President Trump and his administration, saying that the state has been faced by “massive headwinds” and is “under siege” by a “corrupt, racist, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic President in Washington D.C.”
On healthcare, Pritzker claimed the President and drug companies are “greedy,” and blasted them for attempting to close rural hospitals. Pritzker also claims Trump is working to roll back worker protections, at the benefit of corporations. And he claimed the Trump administration was withholding disaster relief funding to Democrat-led states.
In the middle of his speech, Pritzker mentioned his opponent for the first time, Republican challenger Darren Bailey, in order to tie him to the Trump administration and Trump policies. He reiterated that point after his campaign speech.
“Just because everybody is paying attention to the fact that Donald Trump is a failed President, doesn’t mean that Darren Bailey wouldn’t be a failed governor,” Pritzker said. “This is the guy who’s cheered on Donald Trump’s policies.”
Pritzker added more criticisms against Bailey after his campaign appearance to gathered media. Pritzker claims Bailey voted against every budget that was proposed while he was a legislator, budgets that Pritzker says are balanced. He also slammed Bailey for only passing four bills in his time in Springfield, and for being on school boards that passed property tax increases.
During his speech and after, Pritzker urged people to be on “Team Fight” instead of “Team Cave,” saying that Republicans cave by not standing up to Trump and his policies, adding that they are “afraid” to do so. He says some Democrats are also on Team Cave, but says those candidates are losing races.
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