Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey speaks at a news conference with running mate Aaron Del Mar on January 8th. (Photo credit: Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey says a DOGE-like system could uncover waste and improve efficiency in state government if he is elected.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday at the Statehouse in Springfield, Bailey said Illinois’ budget needs greater transparency and oversight.
“It needs to be broken down, it needs to be audited, it needs to be opened up so that people know where the money’s coming from,” Bailey said. “I am very confident there are going to be a lot of waste discovery in that.”
Bailey announced that under his proposal, a commission modeled after the federal Department of Government Efficiency concept would be created, led by his running mate, Aaron Del Mar. Bailey emphasized the effort would not be used to lay off large numbers of state employees or make cuts based on partisan politics, distinguishing it from approaches associated with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
While Bailey and Del Mar did not identify specific budget cuts, Bailey said the goal would be accountability and efficiency rather than broad reductions.
Beyond the oversight proposal, Bailey outlined several initiatives aimed at improving affordability for Illinois residents. He pointed to rising utility costs and said he would repeal the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which Republicans have blamed for higher energy prices and reduced supply. He also called for independent audits of major utility contracts.
Bailey also proposed capping annual property tax increases so they do not exceed a homeowner’s mortgage rate. He said the state would increase education funding to help schools rely less on property taxes, though he did not provide specific funding figures.
Meanwhile, a new Emerson College poll released Thursday by WGN shows Bailey holding a strong lead in the Republican primary for governor. In the survey of 432 likely GOP primary voters conducted January 3–5, Bailey received 34.4% support. No other candidate reached double digits, with Dabrowski second at 8.2%, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick at 5.4%, and businessman Rick Heidner at 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents, 46.4%, remain undecided.
The Republican field was narrowed to four candidates this week after the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled that Gregg Moore and Joseph Severino failed to submit enough valid signatures to remain on the ballot.
In a broader poll of 1,000 likely primary voters, the economy ranked as the top issue for 40.4% of respondents, followed by health care and threats to democracy, each at about 12%. Governor J.B. Pritzker’s approval rating stood at 50.6%, according to the poll.
Early voting for the March 17th primary begins February 5th.