Pritzker, Bailey facing off again for final gubernatorial debate

CHICAGO (CBS) — In three weeks, voters from across the state will decide the next governor of Illinois.

On Tuesday night, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger state Sen. Darren Bailey are facing off for their final debate.

As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported, a new poll provides a window into what’s on the minds of voters – including what issues are important to them.

One other thing we know from the last debate is that Pritzker and Bailey do not see eye-to-eye, and are not afraid to say as much. When they faced off just about two weeks ago at Illinois State University, Bailey called Pritzker an “arrogant liar,” while Pritzker called Bailey a “hypocrite.”

The poll from the Illinois Broadcasters Association included 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/-3.1%.

A total of 49.7 percent of respondents reported they would vote for the Democrat Pritzker, 27.7 percent said they would vote for Republican Darren Bailey, and 6.3 percent said they would vote for Libertarian Party candidate Scott Schluter. A total of 12.6 percent reported they did not know or have not decided, 3.6 percent said they would choose none of the above, and 0.1 percent said they would choose another candidate than those listed.

A total of 45.9 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of Gov. Pritzker, compared with 36.1 percent with an unfavorable view and 12.3 percent with a neutral view. For Bailey, 38.1 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view, while 27.1 percent had a favorable view and 17 percent had a neutral view.

Bailey has said crime, taxes, and education are the issues that matter to voters. According to the poll, he is definitely right on the first two.

In terms of the most important issues in the gubernatorial race, 41 percent of respondents ranked Illinois finances, taxes, or spending. Crime followed at 39.1 percent, jobs and the economy at 36.5 percent, gun control at 28.9 percent, health care at 28.2 percent, women’s rights at 22.5 percent, Roe v. Wade being overturned at 19 percent, education at 15.7 percent, immigration at 14.1 percent, racial equality issues at 11 percent, drug abuse at 7.9 percent, and national politics at 5.7 percent.

Respondents were allowed to choose up to three issues.

The main issues of concern to voters in the poll all involve money and safety.

The debate Tuesday night will be held at WGN-TV Channel 9 studios, at 2501 W. Bradley Pl. in Chicago. Bailey has repeatedly called Chicago a “hellhole” as part of his tough-on-crime message, and you can expect more fireworks when the downstate farmer faces off against the Chicago billionaire on the debate stage again.