(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicagoans are reacting to Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey's characterization of Chicago as a "hell hole.”
Bailey dusted off the provocative phrase earlier this week at the Illinois State Fair during a gathering with fellow Republicans as he criticized incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker and blamed him and other Democrats for crime in the city.
People WBBM Newsradio polled in downtown Chicago Friday generally disagreed the city is as bad as Bailey suggests, but they concede it’s not perfect.
“Chicago has had crime, and does have crime, but I don’t know that it has a high level of crime,” said Jeff Bruce, an Illinoisan who currently lives in Tokyo. “The crime that we have is not equally distributed throughout the city.”
But what about the “hell hole” comment?
“I think that’s not understanding the complexity of a large urban area,” Bruce.
Meanwhile, Melvin Mockabee was enjoying a sunny afternoon in Millennium Park and said the city's attributes far outweigh its challenges with crime.
“Chicago is a great place, it’s very diverse,” he said. “Chicago has literally everything to do here.”
Bailey, a farmer and state senator from Southern Illinois, previously used the "hell hole" tag for Chicago, but more recently had made overtures toward the populous city as he tries to win the general election with wider support.
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