Cindy Bailey stood before reporters in Springfield on Tuesday, a week before Election Day, and pushed back hard against television ads from Governor JB Pritzker's campaign that she says twist her husband's record and character. The wife of Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey said the ads go beyond fair political criticism, arguing they paint a false picture of how he treats women and what their family's school actually teaches.
According to Capitol News Illinois, the Pritzker campaign's ad running in the Chicago television market claims Darren Bailey said women should be treated as inferior to men and alleges he opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest. The ad also features footage of Bailey saying, “God intended the family unit to be headed by the dad.” Cindy Bailey told reporters that her husband has largely chosen not to speak on the abortion issue during this campaign, even though he has a record of supporting anti-abortion positions, and that he previously said he would not push legislation reflecting his personal views if elected.
“You have crossed a line from criticizing his positions and misrepresenting his character,” Cindy Bailey said, according to Capitol Fax. She told the gathered press that she has never needed her husband's permission to speak, and said she owns a business, helps lead a school, and has raised four children, adding that Darren treats her as a partner and values her opinions and work.
Dispute Over the Family's Christian School
The ads also target Full Armor Christian Academy, the private Christian school Darren and Cindy Bailey founded in Louisville, Illinois, in 2016, according to First Alert 4. Pritzker's ads claim the school uses Bob Jones University Press curriculum and that the material teaches women's participation in the workforce has been costly to the country. Cindy Bailey denied on Tuesday that the school uses that textbook material, directly contradicting what Darren Bailey himself said earlier in October, when he told reporters, “I think that's the curriculum that is being taught,” per the same Capitol Fax account. The dossier does not resolve which version is accurate, and the Pritzker campaign has declined to walk back its ads.
A Pritzker campaign spokesperson said Darren Bailey believes women should not have a right to make their own medical decisions and that the school he founded teaches women should be subservient to men, the station's report notes. Cindy Bailey was joined at the news conference by Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois; the Pritzker campaign has separately criticized McCloy over social media statements alleging authorities covered up attacks by Black children on white children in schools.
School Reports Threatening Email
Full Armor Christian Academy received a violent threat by email following the ads, and Illinois State Police are investigating, though Cindy Bailey said authorities have thus far been unable to trace the email to a specific person. Darren Bailey's campaign has blamed the Pritzker campaign for the threat, the same Capitol News Illinois report states.
Cash Gap Shapes the Final Stretch
The dispute is playing out against a lopsided financial backdrop. Darren Bailey raised $1.24 million between July and September but spent $940,631, while entering October with $431,787 in cash on hand, according to the Chicago Tribune. Pritzker, by contrast, had about $44.4 million on hand after contributing $65 million of his own money to his campaign on August 10 and spending $23.7 million during that same quarter. Bailey has not run any television ads and reported spending just $22,500 on advertising during the quarter, the Tribune reported.
Bailey has suggested the drop-off in major Republican donor support stems from outside factors. Per a report, he pointed to “the war in Iran, the tariffs, the frustration of the federal government,” saying donors have instead been focused on races in Florida, Texas and Iowa. Richard Uihlein, who gave more than $50 million to Bailey's unsuccessful 2022 run, has contributed just $6,900 this cycle, the same report found.
Voter Contact Over Airwaves
With television largely out of reach financially, Bailey has relied on face-to-face contact with voters and media headlines rather than mounting an advertising counterattack, Capitol News Illinois reported. He has been conducting a final statewide tour aimed at rallying supporters, making 17 campaign stops in the week leading up to the election, 11 of them outside the Chicago television market. Bailey has said the Chicago market will be the focus of his campaign and that he can still win if enough Republican voters turn out.
Bailey has described the race as a contest to reach 2 million votes, having fallen roughly 300,000 votes short of that mark when he lost to Pritzker by 12 percentage points in 2022. Pritzker drew 2.3 million votes that cycle and 2.5 million in 2018, compared with 1.8 million for Republican Bruce Rauner that year. Bailey has blamed his 2018 loss in a separate race on poor voter turnout.
A Public Policy Polling survey of 569 Illinois voters conducted by phone and text between September 30 and October 1 showed Pritzker leading Bailey 54% to 34%, according to the same Capitol News Illinois report. On policy, Bailey has called for a 1% cap on property tax bills, while the outlet also noted that Chicago Police Department data show shootings down 49% and murders down 40% since 2022. Pritzker held campaign stops in the Chicago area on Tuesday and had scheduled a reception focused on women's rights and reproductive health care with comptroller candidate Margaret Croke and Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris, the report added.
