Former Illinois GOP leader bucks party to endorse Pritzker
A former leader of Illinois Republicans is crossing party lines in the race for governor.
Jim Durkin is endorsing Democrat JB Pritzker, and taking aim at his own party’s nominee, Darren Bailey.
Durkin once led Republicans in the Illinois House. Durkin and Pritzker have been political opponents, but also worked together in Springfield. He announced his endorsement Monday in a video released by Pritzker’s campaign.
The former House Republican leader says Bailey isn’t capable of doing the job. He says he’s too divisive for the state.
It comes as Illinois Republicans hold none of the statewide elected offices and remain outnumbered by Democratic supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.
What they’re saying:
Durkin has blamed Donald Trump for driving away moderate suburban voters — once a foundation of Republican strength in Illinois.
“I want a lot of people to know that I’m willing to speak up and do something about where the Republican party has gone in Illinois,” Durkin told Fox Chicago. “I speak for so many Republicans who are left in the middle who don’t know where to go because they don’t believe in some of the far left stuff that they see from the Democrats, but they’re also extremely dissatisfied with the way that the Republican party has moved to the extreme far-right. And speaking up, I think is something that is important to see where the party can actually analyze and say, you know what, this doesn’t work anymore.”
The Bailey campaign responded to Durkin’s endorsement, saying he “and JB Pritzker, they don’t give a damn about you, and they don’t give a damn about anyone in the state of Illinois.”
The other side:
Illinois GOP Chair Bob Grogan accused Durkin of clout chasing.
“JB Pritzker’s two-terms as Illinois governor have been a complete and total failure as he raised our taxes over and over, championed illegal immigrants and passed the most bloated state budget in history,” said Grogan. “This is who opportunists in search of relevance like Jim Durkin have aligned themselves with and is further proof that the only way to save Illinois is by electing new, strong leadership like Darren Bailey.”
“I’m speaking as a suburban Republican,” said Durkin. “I could have said nothing. I’ve been out of this for four years, but I have so much respect for the Republican party that I could not sit idle. I’m not gonna waste my vote this November like I did last time. I’m voting for a person who I know who he is. I know what he can accomplish, which I will disagree with, but a person whom I can trust running the state of Illinois and that’s Governor Pritzker.”
It comes as a new statewide poll from Chicago News Weekly shows Pritzker leading Bailey by 20 points.
The Source: The information in this report came from Jim Durkin, Gov. JB Pritzker’s campaign, the Darren Bailey campaign, Illinois GOP Chair Bob Grogan, FOX Chicago interviews and reporting, and a Chicago News Weekly statewide poll.
