Darren Bailey is proud to be an outsider to Illinois politics.
“I am running for office to make Illinois a better and more affordable place to live,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News after formally filing his petitions to take on Rep. David Reis (R-Willow Hill) in the 109th District in the 2018 Republican primary.
“I am tired of seeing so many families leave our state,” he said of his motivation for making his first run for public office. “The reality is career politicians have wrecked our state. These career politicians have maintained their power by convincing voters that the only way Springfield can work is if we keep the career politicians in power.”
109th District candidate Darren Bailey
A family farm owner, Bailey said he is empowered by the knowledge that he isn’t alone in feeling the desperate need for change.
“The people see the mess these career politicians have created,” he said. “The people of Illinois are tired of politics as usual, and I think they see in me someone who, like them, values faith, family and hard work.”
His campaign will be based on facing hard truths and finally putting what’s best for overburdened taxpayers ahead of everything else, Bailey said.
“The fact is my opponent voted for a 32 percent tax increase with no accompanying reforms,” he said. “Sure, difficult cuts are going to have to be made, but we simply cannot tax our citizens anymore. I will be very vocal, and the citizens of the 109th will know what is going on in Springfield every day. What we need is tax cuts — not tax increases.
This race is about whether or not voters want a state representative who will keep the status quo of high taxes and deficit spending or someone who will stand up for taxpayers and the values of our district.”
The 109th House District includes parts or all of Jasper, Effingham, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Wabash, Wayne, Edwards and White counties.
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