Buoyed by a raucous Kane County crowd, Republican candidates in the Illinois gubernatorial primary race debated taxes, crime and electability Monday.

The governor hopefuls at the Kane County Republican Organization forum in West Dundee comprised Ted Dabrowski and James Mendrick. Also speaking was lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, representing his running mate Darren Bailey.

Asked what the single most important change they’d make if elected, Mendrick honed in on a campaign theme.

“The sanctuary state – that is my No. 1 change,” said Mendrick, who is DuPage County sheriff. “For years, (President) Biden’s open borders policy let people in relentlessly. We have a secondary population being laid on a primary population; there is no way we can afford this.”

Del Mar, the Cook County Republican Party Chair, advocated for lowering property taxes and ending cronyism in state government.

“We need to get all the patronage jobs out of here,” the Palatine resident said.

Dabrowski, a Wilmette resident and former president of media/research company Wirepoints, said the GOP needs more “principled leadership” and criticized Republican lawmakers who voted for tax and gas hikes.

“We will never be able to have a proper Republican brand if we’re not consistent,” he said.

Talking points

Dabrowski told the suburban audience the biggest thing they have to think about is who can beat JB Pritzker in 2026.

“I supported Darren Bailey last time strongly. But we know in the end, they fell short, largely up here,” he said.

Bailey unsuccessfully ran against Pritzker in 2022. Del Mar ran as lieutenant governor on a ticket with Gary Rabine.

“Experience matters,” Del Mar said, referring to Bailey’s time as a state lawmaker and local elected official. “Darren has prayed and he’s thought about all the things he did wonderfully (in 2022). But then he went and studied all the things he did wrong.”

Meanwhile, Mendrick emphasized “we need to go back to the definition of a minor, which means under 18 years of age and make it illegal to discuss sex with kids. And that means (no) porn in libraries and schools.”

“We need to come back to American principles. We need to bring back God and the nuclear family.”

Reducing crime

Asked about crime and safety, Del Mar criticized the Illinois TRUST Act, which prohibits law enforcement agencies from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with some exceptions.

“Every time we have a felon that we find out is illegal, after they get arrested and they do their time and they get released, we can’t notify federal law enforcement to take them away,” Del Mar said.

Mendrick suggested “let’s start with respecting and treating our law enforcement like the heroes they are.”

He also noted his longtime opposition to the state’s SAFE-T Act, which ended cash bail.

“How about all felonies stay in jail?” Mendrick said. “How about multiple repeat offenders for misdemeanors stay in jail — you don’t need to worry about money now, that solves it really easily.”

Dabrowski called Illinois’ sanctuary state stance “extreme.”

“In Florida, if they find a bad guy, an illegal immigrant bad guy, do you know what they do? The local authorities take the guy, put him in handcuffs, and hand him right over to the federal authorities. Problem solved. No chaos. Just done,” he said.

Economic concerns

Candidates also dug into Illinois’ economy and pension debt.

“Property taxes are the biggest complaint everywhere I go,” Dabrowski said. He touted his abilities to make DOGE-like cuts, and singled out the high salaries for school superintendents.

“We need to move to 401(k)s for all new government workers,” he added.

Mendrick supported giving municipalities a greater share of the state’s Local Government Distributive Fund and advocated for a mobile 401(k) pension system.

“If you quit or go somewhere else, you can take your pension with you,” he said. “That may be attractive enough to replace the existing pension system.”

Del Mar countered that many firefighters, police officers and downstate teachers are Republicans.

“Telling them you’re going to take their pensions away is not a good way of getting them to vote for you,” he said.

“We need to look at ways to grow Illinois. We want to expand and grow the economy and lessen the burden of debt and taxes,” Del Mar added.

The other Republicans in the race are Broadview resident Gregg Moore; video gambling business owner Rick Heidner of Barrington Hills; Joseph Severino of Lake Forest; and Max Solomon of Hazel Crest.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251111/illinois-state-politics/taxes-sanctuary-status-and-electability-key-issues-in-gop-gubernatorial-joust/