President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Darren Bailey in the Illinois governor’s race did not go over well with some residents on the r/Illinois subreddit. Despite Bailey publicly taking a different stance from the president on some issues, critics claimed his recent association with Trump could hurt his campaign against Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Trump backed Bailey over the weekend while speaking to reporters following a trip to Ireland, telling them he had already endorsed the former state senator and was “all for Bailey.” Trump had previously thrown his support behind him during his 2022 campaign, when Bailey was challenging Pritzker for the same office.
The president described Bailey as a “very good candidate” but called Pritzker “a disaster as a governor” and said he “should lose” come the November election.
Bailey reportedly welcomed the endorsement but appeared eager to keep the focus closer to home. He said he appreciated Trump’s support but insisted that the governor’s race was about Illinois and correcting what he described as Pritzker’s failures over his eight years in office.
“Our state is worse off today under JB Pritzker’s leadership,” Bailey reportedly stated. “Change will only happen when Illinois voters step into the voting booth and vote for it.”
Illinois Residents React to Trump’s Bailey Endorsement
After news of Trump backing Bailey again made its way to the Illinois subreddit, some residents said they were far from enthusiastic about the endorsement.
Some predicted that the endorsement would cost Bailey support. “That’s one way to guarantee a Pritzker win,” one Redditor commented. Someone else said, “A Trump endorsement is basically a kiss of death in Illinois.” A third claimed, “Trumps endorsement just cost him at less [sic] 5 points. He most likely would have done better without it.” A fourth chimed in, “Yeah just makes Darren Bailey look so much worse lmao.”
Some of the responses were considerably harsher. One critic said, “Can’t wait to watch Bailey fail hard.” Another joked, “Congratulations JB on another term.” A third wrote, “As soon as Bailey opens his mouth any respect I have for anyone willing to vote for this cornball goes out the window.”
Another comment read, “Darren Bailey and anyone who supports him are a cancer to modern society.”
During his first campaign against Pritzker, Bailey lost after Pritzker won 54.91% of the vote compared with Bailey’s 42.37%, according to the 2022 election results. Four years later, Bailey won the GOP nomination again and is now heading for another matchup against Pritzker in less than two months.
The Republican has also been trying to gain more support in Chicago and its suburbs after struggling there during his previous run, making the region a key focus of his latest campaign for governor.
