FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – In the Metro East Monday, candidates for Illinois governor made final campaign stops, delivering last-minute messages to voters.
Voters in Illinois are headed to the polls to decide on whether Democrat J.B. Pritzker will keep his job or if Republican Darren Bailey should be the next governor.
Governor Pritzker is now leading in the polling, but he may need a boost in the more rural parts of the state. A Nexstar, Emerson College, and The Hill poll from a couple of weeks ago showed Democrat Pritzker leading GOP challenger state Senator Darren Bailey among likely voters 50% to 41%. Three percent of those surveyed say they plan to vote for the libertarian candidate.
A new poll shows Pritzker with a sizeable advantage in Chicago and its suburbs, with Bailey polling better outside the Chicago area.
Illinois voters said the issue most important to them is the economy, followed by threats to democracy and abortion access. The candidates addressed those topics and more in their last debate.
“He has no solutions for anything and just making sure that I called that out, made sure people understood where I’ve been, what I’ve stood for, what I plan to do,” Pritzker said.
“Talk about being radical, his Safety Act is going to let prisoners out of jail. It’s a revolving door on all of our jail cells across Illinois,” Bailey explained.
Bailey rounded out his campaign Monday night in Chicago, trying to win over voters there, while Governor Pritzker crisscrossed the state, including a stop in Caseyville, where democratic support lags.
Polls open in Illinois from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.