Sen. Darren Bailey meets supporters at the Agricultural Legislative Roundtable. | Facebook
Sen. Darren Bailey meets supporters at the Agricultural Legislative Roundtable. | Facebook
Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) promised to help farmers during his recent speech at the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable.
Bailey and his November opponent, Gov. J.B. Pritzker both appeared at a farm near Lexington to discuss topics of interest with the Illinois Farm Bureau.
"Thank you to the Illinois Farm Bureau and Schuler Family Farm for hosting the Agricultural Legislative Roundtable today," Bailey said in a statement. "As a farmer, I understand the needs of the agricultural world. That’s why I pledge to prioritize lowering the burden of taxes and business costs here in Illinois, as well as upholding your rights to private property which J.B. Pritzker has put under attack through eminent domain."
Bailey said the current renewable energy policy in Illinois will not work. He also took potshots at Pritzker for the state’s high crime and tax rates and poor school achievement rates.
"We need to continue to ease into that, because if we are going to attract industry, if we are going to attract more business, we've got to have the power to supply and right now we don't have that,” Bailey said, The Center Square reported.
Bailey panned Pritzker’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The plan seeks to replace fossil fuel sources with renewable energy. However, critics argue the plan is not fully forged and could compromise energy access.
“J.B. Pritzker’s energy policies are a little more than impractical virtue signals and cannot succeed with the speed of his promises,” Bailey said at the forum, according to Capitol Illinois. “We all want a clear plan, but J.B. has bet the farm, he's bet our farms, and he's thrown snake eyes every time.”
The two candidates for the governor's seat appeared at the forum at separate times.
The Illinois Farm Bureau includes 400,000 members. The organization lobbies on behalf of the agriculture sector noting that they “represent three out of every four farmers in Illinois. Whether you have 10 acres or 10,000, we are here to serve you." According to its website, the organization has 'for more than 100 years, stood by its mission to improve the future of agriculture.'
Bailey is a farmer himself operating his own Bailey Family Farm.
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