Governor’s Race… Debate Report.

This is the first compare and contrast between the candidates I’ve seen that also includes some polling data.  Sharing it here with our readers.

Darren Bailey (a GSL life member, for the record) didn’t attend, but he’s polling at over a third of Republican voters.  Ted Dabrowski (strongly pro-gun) and Sheriff Jim Mendrick (also very strongly pro-gun) were there along with Rick Heidner.  Heidner is a big unknown on the gun issue.  Unlike Mendrick and Dabrowski (and Bailey) who have spoken before GSL audiences countless times, Heidner hasn’t approached us.

From the article below:

Heidner, a Barrington Hills real estate developer and video gambling mogul, has faced criticism since entering the race for ties to indicted politicians, people allegedly part of the mob, and campaign contributions to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx — both Democrats.

“I’ve always worked on both sides,” Heidner said. “I’ll always be able to work with both sides. I’m very well respected by the Democrats, am very well respected by the Republicans. And I think it’s a huge asset.”

Yeah, we’re heard the reach across the aisle language many times.  That usually means RINO.  And he donated to Foxx and Mayor Moron?  That doesn’t bode well.

But here’s the story from Cap News IL:

Three Republicans seeking the right to face Gov. JB Pritzker in the fall met for the first time in a televised debate on Tuesday as they try to muster momentum ahead of the March 17 primary.

The debate gave DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, businessman Rick Heidner and researcher Ted Dabrowski an opportunity to introduce themselves to voters outside the shadow of the party’s 2022 nominee, Darren Bailey, who declined to participate in the debate hosted by FOX-32 in Chicago.

“I’ve participated in four forums across the state, and my running mate Aaron Del Mar has taken part in three,” Bailey said in a statement to Capitol News Illinois. “Voters have had plenty of chances to hear from us — who we are, what we believe, and the direction we want to take Illinois.”

“At this point, my focus is simple: getting out across Illinois, meeting people where they are, listening to their concerns, and sharing our plan to move this state forward,” Bailey said.

A WGN/Emerson College poll in early January found Bailey had support from 34% of likely Republican primary voters while the three candidates at Tuesday’s debate all polled under 10%.

Problematic campaign contributions

Instead, Dabrowski and Heidner focused their attacks on each other.

I’ll sum it up.  Heidner was attacked for making donations to candidates like Mayor Moron Johnson and Team Soros prosecutor Kim Foxx’s campaign.

Heidner’s weaksauce response?  He attacked some of the people who have helped finance Dabrowski’s campaign.

There’s a huge difference between who you support and who may support your campaign.  One you have control of.  The other?  Not so much.

Mendrick had to defend his donors, but in a different way — the lack of them and what it means for his campaign’s viability. The sheriff said he has to turn down certain donations because he’s a police officer.

“When you’re beholden to money, money controls you,” Mendrick said. “And I am an honorable sheriff.”

Alignment with Trump

Of course CapNewsIL tried to paint alignment with America First as somehow detrimental to hopes of winning in Illinois…

Bears stadium

On what Illinois lawmakers should, or shouldn’t, do to keep the Chicago Bears stadium in Illinois, Dabrowski was the only candidate in the debate who said he does not support lawmakers giving the Bears power to negotiate property tax rates with local governments in Arlington Heights.

Love or hate the idea of spending billions to subsidize billionaires getting a new stadium is important to Chicago and that’s where two-thirds of the votes in IL come from.

Bringing down costs

Affordability was also a key topic of the debate.

Dabrowski said property taxes should be capped at 1% of a property’s value. He added reducing the number of units of government in the state would help bring them down. Heidner said he would freeze all tax rates, including property taxes, if elected. However, property taxes are levied by local governments.

Addressing rising utility prices is also part of Republicans’ affordability agenda. Mendrick said he’s glad Pritzker is embracing nuclear energy but said it’s not enough to bring prices down quickly.

“That’s 2033 and they’re saying our crisis is going to hit in 2029,” he said. “Well guess what? We could use our own coal right now, create jobs, create energy reductions by using our own materials that we have a plethora of in our state and export at a profit.”

Dabrowski said high energy prices aren’t just a problem for residents.

“Now we’re starting to turn away data centers, we’re starting to turn away business,” he said.

Republicans will next debate on Feb. 26 on AM-560 radio in Chicago ahead of the March 17 primary.