Pritzker, Bailey have lopsided war chests in race for governor

CHICAGO (CBS) — The unofficial start to campaign season is less than two weeks away, and Illinois’ candidates for governor are starting to ramp up their campaign appearances and, inevitably, their fundraising.

As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Wednesday, the campaign war chests for Gov. JB Pritzker and state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) are pretty lopsided right now.

Right or wrong, so many of today’s campaigns rely on ads and the money to pay for them. It’s a way for candidates to control the message. 

CBS 2 took a look at the Democrat Pritzker and the Republican Bailey’s war chests to see where their funding stands. 

According to Reform for Illinois’ Sunshine Database, Pritzker has almost $61 million — $60,811,140.76, to be exact — in his gubernatorial campaign fund. Pritzker is his own largest donor. 

Bailey’s cash on hand right now is just $565,545.42. 

These figures date back to June 30. 

We’re not seeing many ads now, but after Labor Day, that will change — and the disparity in campaign funds could become a big factor. 

In the meantime, both Pritzker and Bailey were on the campaign trail Wednesday in central Illinois.

Both appeared at an agriculture roundtable, one week after both appeared at the Illinois State Fair. Each took pre-summitted questions from the audience. 

Both were asked what they would do to unite Chicago and downstate Illinois. Pritzker said he’s been working to do that with things like more downstate road improvements, data centers, and private sector jobs.

“I talk about downstate Illinois when I’m in Chicago, and I’m not afraid to come here and talk to you about Chicago and the importance of — you know, it’s an economic engine for the state,” Pritzker said. “Let’s make sure they’re thriving, and let’s make sure that people across the state are thriving.”

“We focus on what unites us, and not what divides us as our current governor is doing. The things he’s talking about — they’re not going to change. The things that need to change are the fact that the city of Chicago has become the OK Corral — with shootouts and homicides every night,” Bailey said. “These people don’t feel safe.  It’s real — especially on the South Side where they’re being ignored.”

Bailey said crime, taxes and schools are the issues that unite people here. To note, Bailey calling Chicago the “OK Corral” comes on the heels of Bailey calling the city a “hellhole.”