Illinois gubernatorial candidates debate Covid-19 pandemic policy

CHICAGO - She's a political rival of Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey. State representative Avery Bourne is now calling him a flip-floppper on Covid-19 pandemic policy.

"It seems like every week that we learn something new about Darren Bailey," said Bourne (R-Morrisonville).

Bourne is running for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin. She called out Bailey for first supporting mandatory shutdowns and mask-wearing, before becoming a vocal critic of those policies.

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"Before Darren Bailey decided he was going to run for governor, he introduced a plan that included business closures and now he says he never would have done that," Bourne said. "And so he might have a really politically convenient persona now, but when you look at his record and what he's done, it's the opposite."

In March 2020, Bailey posted on social media, "I am satisfied with what the Governor (Pritzker) is doing as we watch what he is suggesting and compare that with what President Trump is doing." He added, "I wanted to ask everyone to please stay home from church tomorrow."

"I was an advocate for that. I stood up and, as a matter of fact, I had a lot of pushback in my district. But two weeks came and went and then when businesses started closing down and the governor had absolutely no idea, no relief, no plan for these non-essential business owners, then it became a problem," Bailey said.

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"And I began to realize that the problem was escalating out of control. And that's when I began to stand up and start pushing back."