CHICAGO — Three weeks before Election Day, the two major-party candidates for governor of Illinois are set to meet Tuesday evening for a second and final televised debate.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Chicago Democrat, and State Sen. Darren Bailey, a Xenia Republican, spent much of their first face-to-face encounter accusing one another of lying.
During their Oct. 6 debate on the campus of Illinois State University, the governor said he would not seek another progressive income tax constitutional amendment or leave office early to run for president.
Pritzker also said he supported some form of unspecified clarification to the controversial SAFE-T Act, which will make Illinois the first state to completely eliminate cash bail and rewrites the state’s procedures for pretrial detention in criminal cases. The act takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Bailey pledged to repeal the SAFE-T Act entirely. He also backs the repeal of the state’s firearm licensing system. On the other hand, with Democratic control of both chambers of the legislature, Bailey has said he would have no power to repeal legislative protections for abortion.
The Republican nominee, a fourth-generation owner of a family farm in Southern Illinois, stood by his challenges to Pritzker’s pandemic emergency powers, which the governor last week extended for another month.
Bailey, a former school board member who currently runs the private Christian school Full Armor Christian Academy in Louisville, called for more local control over decisions affecting businesses and schools.
The first-term incumbent and billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune touted improvements to the state’s fiscal health since taking over from his Republican predecessor, while his challenger promised to reduce spending through a policy of zero-based budgeting.
Bailey’s campaign and his backers have sought to focus the campaign on issues of crime, taxes and schools, with outside groups spending millions on television ads attacking the governor.
Meanwhile, seeking to portray his challenger as too extreme for the state, Pritzker’s campaign has emphasized the Southern Illinois state senator’s outspoken opposition to abortion except in cases when the life of the mother is in jeopardy and his support for former President Donald Trump.
WGN anchors Michah Materre and Tahman Bradley will moderate the 60-minute debate, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live in the Chicago area on WGN and across the state on Nexstar-owned TV stations.
Radio stations throughout the state have been provided free access to the debate, and it is expected to be aired on WGN 720 AM in the Chicago area, WGLT 89.1 FM in Normal and WCBU 89.9 FM in Peoria.
According to Nexstar, the first debate reached more than 240,000 viewers, finishing as the top-rated program that hour.
Read More: Pritzker, Bailey Meet In Chicago For Final Illinois Governor Debate