>> Illinois is gearing up for a rematch.

Former state Senator Darren Bailey won the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday's primary election.

That means he'll be facing current Governor JB Pritzker in November's general Election Pritzker.

Be Bailey for the governor's mansion back in 2022.

But Bailey says this time around things could be different.

Joining us now is the Republican nominee for Illinois Governor Darren Bailey.

Welcome to the show.

And congrats on Reddit winning a race this week.

Thank you, Brandis.

Good to be here.

So you will have your set for rematch, as we've said with Governor JB Pritzker in November.

As we've also said, you lost the race to him back in 2022.

>> What do you feel is different about your candidacy, your campaign this time?

Well, there's a lot different.

I think that I'm a different person.

You know, 7 months ago, we didn't have this on the radar to run and we felt called to it thought that to we had learned enough over the last 4 years.

We could make a difference.

And then our family went through the tragedy and we literally had 3 months down time just soaking up family and things became.

>> Just just a lot clear and crisp are just about life in general.

And then as far as we began to look and think about our messaging where I live considering Chicago considering things that could have and should have been different for years ago.

you compound that with the fact that over the last 3 years, you know, it seems like today affordability, safety and education resonate with everyone.

Property taxes, rant, the cost of living the cost of energy.

It's it's out of hand.

And I think people are ready to be able to want to afford to live here in Illinois again, you talk about affordability that being your primary message of this campaign and you criticized the governor for raising taxes on Illinois residents.

>> While maintaining his billionaire status, what are your proposals to lower costs for people of the state?

Well, and that's when we have to have that conversation to begin to talk about it.

But >> when I started running as a state representative, the budget for Illinois was 32 billion dollars.

And today it's 55 Billion.

And the governor touted just a half a percent increase next year, which is a billion and a half dollars.

So 56 in over 56 billion dollars in spending.

That's not doing anyone any good.

And during the time that I served as a state representative in as a state senator, we just continue any time there was a problem, whether it was education, whether mental health, just money, hundreds of millions of dollars thrown at the problem with a no result resolve.

We still have the same problems that we have here.

Me JB Pritzker was able to take 2.5 billion dollars of our tax dollars and spend it on people who are here paying for free health care, free food and free shelter.

And and that would be fine if we had the money.

But we have senior center since we have veterans, we have a homeless problem and that we need to be dealing with that problem for so serving in watching that budget, grow and expand and seeing the unaccountable waste that exist in the budget.

Number one plan is to be able dissect that, find it and to show it to the people, you know, show them where their money is coming from, show it where it's going and then use that money to be able to push down some of these high costs.

during the 2022 race, he had a bit of a fraught relationship with the city of Chicago at the time drawing attention for your reference to the city as a hellhole.

>> What what approach?

How was your approach different this time around campaigning in Chicago?

So, you and I you know, and I doubled down on that when asked about it because I thought that addressing a problem.

I I'm I'm a farmer.

I've got men and women work on the phone with me.

And when I see a problem, I call it out.

>> didn't understand the love the people of Chicago have for their city.

I love Chicago.

I want Chicago to be the greatest, you know, the greatest city on on and in the nation.

But it was kind of a disciplinary and comment.

you know, I don't know that I completely understand stood that until these 3 months of down time we had then it just my heart kind of begin to change for the people I used to get on my Facebook lives and and and Monday.

Mornings.

A look at how many shootings and deaths there were, you know, over the weekend.

And those are just numbers and statistics.

And I began to learn that, gosh, those are lives.

Those are that, you somebody is brother sister on Clinton and and I think that's what changed.

I left Chicago.

I want to work with Chicago.

I want to help make it great.

I want to work with every organization, every group of people that here.

So has Chicago.

I'm sorry that I said what I said and I hope open up your ears and your doors and give me another chance to prove who I really am because we need to change in Illinois and and working with the General Assembly and the people of Illinois.

We can bring about that change and make life better and more affordable, safer improve education.

Here you received only 31% of vote in Cook County.

You have some work to do in the suburbs as well.

What will that look like for you?

It looks like work Sunday night will be living for the next 8 months.

We're going to be a you know, there was another mistake that I made 4 years ago.

we were out in the suburbs begin with and we moved into the city and we just we didn't realize in time that where we were at was really resonating to people.

You're going to said everywhere throughout the city.

I hope that when you do that, you feel like you can come up and have a conversation with me.

If you disagree with me, come up and let's have a conversation and and tell me why so we are looking for a place to stay in body out.

There has any advice where we need to stay will take it.

But to this will be our home for the next 8 months.

>> Illinois reliably Democratic state right has had only one Republican governor since 2000 Democrats hold and have held statewide constitutional offices.

Super majorities in the Legislature to Democrats in the U.S.

Senate.

What is preventing Republicans from winning statewide office in Illinois.

The lack of the leadership and the lack of just DEP representing the people as they you know, it seems like many times when someone gets elected and they stand up on stage and tell people what they're standing for.

>> After they get elected, the number one the number you know, rule for them becomes re-election.

So they kind of push aside what they what they promise.

But they said they work on sometimes Republicans, sometimes I myself, I will admit I haven't always had that open door.

I've been pretty close minded in the past.

asked earlier something else that's different.

I plan listening a lot more than talking.

But having that door open, bring in independents having that door open for Democrats who think that their party has left or them and making that convincing argument that to I'll hold true to my word.

I will make Illinois more affordable and all make help work with the leaders in Chicago to make it to a great city that I believe it should be.

>> Since 2020, more than 30 Illinois counties have passed advisory referendums to secede from the state, citing dissatisfaction with the political and cultural divide in Cook County.

Many people downstate believe that the differences between downstate and the Chicago Cook County area are irreconcilable.

Are they just so different that they cannot be that the 2 parts of the state are incompatible?

How do you the bridge that, you know, we is.

So that's what I want to do as well.

So I was I kind of made some of that noise early on.

Again.

That's just the learning process.

The government.

>> And then as I began to study that I began to realize, you know, you can't split at one point Chicago where bettors one, it's kinda like a marriage may be the 10 trouble you go.

Get help.

You figured out a new work together so we can live together, work together and love each other.

So I intend I mean, I think that's what's beautiful about to my candidacy.

The fact that I do understand rule issues, Aaron Delmar, my running mate understands, you know, Chicago issues.

I have learned immensely from him.

And I plan learning from the people of these next 8 months, a large part of your opponents campaign platform to Pritzker.

It has been to oppose President Trump.

He has criticized.

>> Present the president's immigration enforcement economic policy.

The list goes on.

If you are elected governor of Illinois, what would your relationship with President Trump like?

My relationship will be with the General Assembly and with the people.

And that's that's >> You know, said several times, I think JB Pritzker hates President Trump more than he loves the people of Illinois because, you know, this whole process of this money that's sitting there to come in for our schools.

Jb Pritzker just needs to apply with apply for it and work with federal government order receive with the federal about your program.

yes.

And he refuses to be that in and hey, all admit to the whole I situation it should have looked a lot different and been better coordinated and even go so far as to say there shouldn't be.

Federal agents in Cook County doing this work because, again, I'm going to put that JB Pritzker's feet if state and local law enforcement officials were able to go after the most dangerous of these people are here illegally.

We wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

But JB Pritzker wants to point the finger.

Donald Trump instead of coming up with solutions and making life better.

As you mentioned, you and your families suffered a very tragic accident in November.

Losing your son, your daughter in law, 2 grandchildren.

>> You took some time you chose to remain in the race.

How does that loss and your family, of course, in form the platform of your campaign and how will back, you know, informed the next few months until November.

My son was, you know, had some frustrations with Alan noise, his family.

They home school, their children.

And he just he felt threatened with some of the laws that JB Pritzker was imposing.

They were actually considering.

>> Moving to, you know, Florida, Chris, that he loves flying and he was going to get a job of flying down there.

And when we were best thing up passwords getting into his computer.

I found where he was thinking and working in talking with some people about running for state We realize that now we have this is what we believe in.

This is our fight and that we needed to stay stay the course.

Okay.