Governor candidates hit the road for new phase of campaign

MUSEUM CAMPUS (WBBM Newsradio) -- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is launching the next phase of his re-election campaign, as his Republican opponent tries to link his policies to the closing of a major employer near the Quad Cities.

The Democratic incumbent and his running mate Christian Mitchell boarded their campaign bus at Adler Planetarium as the sun rose over the city Wednesday morning, pledging to take their re-election drive across the state.

"It's a campaign that's about working people, about affordability, about making sure that people have what they need to get ahead," the governor told reporters, his wrapped blue and yellow campaign bus partly blocking the Chicago skyline.

However, the governor's Republican challenger, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, chose a different backdrop for his Wednesday roadtrip: a Tyson Foods beef processing plant in Rock Island County that's slated to close, putting about 2,500 people out of work.

"Less than two weeks ago, nearly 2,500 Illinoisans walked into the facility behind us, expecting to do their jobs," Bailey said as he stood beside his running mate Aaron Del Mar. "Instead, they learned that their livelihoods were being ripped away."

Bailey in part blamed the governor's policies for Tyson's decision, saying higher taxes and regulation influence where companies grow and invest, and pointing to several high-profile corporate relocations, including Caterpillar and Boeing.

"Major employers have taken notice," said Bailey.

The governor called the fate of the Tyson facility "a terrible situation," but said the company was being pressured by the economic policies of the Trump Administration, citing Tyson's decision to close another facility in Utah and put a third up for sale in Washington state.

"As the price of beef has gone up, it's made it frankly untenable for those beef processors. That's what happened to that facility," said Gov. Pritzker. "Unfortunately, we're not alone in this."

He said the state is working with Tyson and the workers' union to help affected employees, but Bailey said that's not enough.

"Job search assistance will not replace 2,500 paychecks," Bailey said. "The cattle shortage is real, but so is Illinois' economic record. Leadership means accepting responsibility and preparing Illinois to compete."

Election Day is November 3.