In his bid to secure a third term as Illinois’ governor, JB Pritzker has launched a campaign criticizing his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, for adhering to traditional Christian beliefs.
Bailey, a former state senator from downstate Illinois and an evangelical Christian, founded a private Christian school with his wife. Pritzker’s campaign has published press releases accusing Bailey of promoting extreme theological views through his educational institution.
On October 14, the campaign criticized Bailey’s school for teaching biblical positions on family structure, including the concept that a husband leads the family—contrasting this with what it claims are radical social agendas in government schools. Campaign spokesperson Leah Hurwitz labeled Bailey’s approach as “indoctrinating children into extreme views,” while noting that government schools have historically promoted ideologies such as Marxism and critical race theory.
This is not the first time Pritzker’s campaign has targeted Bailey’s Christian faith. On September 17, it aired a television ad criticizing Bailey for using curriculum that teaches biblical creation. The following day, in a press release, the campaign called the school’s curriculum “extreme” and dismissed biblical creation as a “false dinosaur hoax.”
The attacks have reached millions of Americans, with Gallup polling indicating that a plurality of Americans believe in biblical creation. Additionally, many scientists continue to publicly reject evolution as scientifically sound.
Responding to these criticisms, Bailey stated he would focus on issues such as high property taxes and utility costs, calling the campaign’s attacks “a perfect example of JB Pritzker being successful by diverting the message.”
The Illinois Democratic Party has also joined the criticism. In a Facebook post on October 14, David Smith, executive director of the Christian-conservative Illinois Family Institute, highlighted an anti-Bailey mailer paid for by the party that labeled Bailey “an extremist.” The mailer criticized Bailey’s belief in God’s design for men to lead households and his opposition to abortion.
Bailey served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021 and in the Senate from 2021 to 2023, earning an 83 percent lifetime Freedom Score. In contrast, the Illinois General Assembly’s average Freedom Score currently stands at a dismal 23.4 percent.