Poll: Bailey pulls way ahead of Irvin in GOP gubernatorial primary

Illinois Sen. Darren Bailey, left; Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin Photo credit USA Today Images; city of Aurora

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — In a dramatic shift, a new poll shows downstate lawmaker Darren Bailey with a strong lead over Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin in the Republican primary race for governor.

Irvin said he’s not worried. But a Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ poll shows that if the GOP primary were held today, Sen. Bailey, of Xenia, would have a two-to-one lead over Irvin, the previous frontrunner — 32% to 17%. The survey queried nearly 700 likely Republican voters in the June 28 primary.

In, Aurora, Irvin told reporters his campaign is undaunted.

Bailey has tried to align himself with former President Donald Trump and has run commercials with Irvin’s unfavorable comments about Trump. Irvin recently pulled his commercials from downstate, saying it’s simply a change in strategy.

Irvin’s campaign has boasted significant financial support from billionaire Ken Griffin, an outspoken critic of incumbent Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat.

The Democratic Governors Association has been running ads calling Bailey too conservative for Illinois.

Among other Republican hopefuls, Jesse Sullivan finished with 11%; Gary Rabine had 6%; Paul Schimpf had 4% and Max Solomon had 2%, according to the poll. Twenty-seven percent of respondents were still undecided.