Darren Bailey and running mate Aaron Del Mar stopped in Sterling this week as part of their “Take Back Illinois” bus tour through suburban Chicago and northern Illinois.

Bailey, the former state representative and former state senator, ran for governor in 2022 and lost to JB Pritzker.

Bailey said he has changed his approach, using lessons learned from his first campaign.

“Carrying the conservative flag that I did four years ago didn’t resonate with all of Illinois,” Bailey said.

In his first run for the governor’s job, Bailey referred to Chicago as a “hellhole” and frequently referenced the crime rates there.

The Clay County grain and livestock farmer also has a suburban Chicago face running with him. Del Mar is the former Cook County Republican chairman and an entrepreneur who was born in Chicago and raised in Palatine.

Bailey said his policy platform focuses on affordability, safety and education.

“Those are the three issues that we’re running on, that I believe 80% of all Illinois agrees with,” he said.

Bailey sat down with Shaw Local to answer questions about his campaign and policy plans:

YOU TALKED IN YOUR SPEECH TODAY ABOUT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF BRINGING FEDERAL TROOPS INTO THE STATE OR BRINGING U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT INTO THE STATE IN LARGE NUMBERS, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE’RE SEEING IN MINNESOTA?

BAILEY: When I’m governor – if I’m governor – there would be no federal people here because, as governor, I would be protecting the people of Illinois. The only reason that ICE or any other federal entity is here is because JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson are failing to do their jobs.

What is the one role of government? To protect the people. They are failing to do that, so, therefore, people at the federal level are realizing, “Why are all these shootings and killings and looting taking place in Chicago?” Something needs to be done.

TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT SENT HUNDREDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TO CHICAGO THIS SUMMER. AS A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR RESPONSE IF HE WOULD DO THAT AGAIN?

BAILEY: There would be no need for any federal help anywhere in the state of Illinois because I, as governor, will take care of that. The Chicago Police Department has a vacancy of 1,600 police officers because of the SAFE-T Act. These police officers cannot do their jobs.

The SAFE-T Act, which JB Pritzker himself said is flawed, must be repealed. Recently, the state Legislature passed the TRUST Act, which says state law enforcement is prohibited from working with federal law enforcement. That has to go by the wayside.

ONE OF YOUR POLICIES IS TO IMPLEMENT A DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY-STYLE PROGRAM. HOW WOULD YOUR PROGRAM DIFFER FROM THE FEDERAL PROGRAM?

BAILEY: This is a whole different approach from the federal program. We have a live tracker at blueprintforillinois.com. That tracker, within hours, put together $180 million – over the last four years – in state money that has funneled its way to hotels JB Pritzker is holding. He supposedly has a blind trust.

Everywhere you go, and when people find out you are from Illinois, the first thing people say is, “Oh, Chicago, it’s corruption and bad politicians.” It is literal wasted money that’s out there that I know because I saw it being spent when I was in Springfield. That has to be reined in. We will show the taxpayers of Illinois where every penny of their tax dollars goes, and they deserve to see that.

AS A GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK FARMER, ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT TARIFFS AND THE TRADE SITUATION?

BAILEY: I’m not. I believe in the first and second quarter of this year – soon, I believe, we’ll start seeing the benefit, the reward of that. It makes sense. In Illinois, we’re going to have to start reining some things back and making it affordable for people in Illinois, so there are going to be cuts. It’s like when a person goes on a diet. It’s painful at first, but we see the results of that later.