East Central Reporter

A Clay County judge recently rejected an executive order by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to extend shutdown restrictions across Illinois.

The lawsuit against the governor was filed by gubernatorial candidate Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) who believes Pritzker is abusing his authority by continuing to impose numerous restrictions on non-essential businesses. 

“We are only just beginning to understand the damage the lockdown of our economy has caused,” Rep. Chris Miller said.

A recent Opportunity Insights’ Economic Tracker report revealed the severity of small business closures amid the pandemic. General businesses have been closed for a longer duration of time than in any other state, falling to eighth place among states that have suffered massive small business declines. Nearly 500,000 state residents have been furloughed as the state reports the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest.

With the state currently in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, the governor’s office will appeal the ruling as it continues “reviewing the order and evaluating our options,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. Bailey has firmly stood behind his disapproval of Pritzker's restrictions, made evident through a lawsuit he filed last April questioning the governor’s protocols to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, to which a judge initially disapproved of but later solidified. 

Bailey was recently escorted out of a May assembly for not following its mask mandate.

"I am a person of faith with strong convictions," Bailey said. "I will be a governor for the people of Illinois guided by the lessons that I've learned from faith, family, and community. It's time to lift ourselves out of the mire of partisan anger and cynicism. It's time to restore confidence in government. It's time to revitalize our state. It's time that we live up to our name: 'The Heartland of America.'"

Bailey is set to run against Pritzker next year, joining  state Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Murphysboro) and McHenry County businessman Gary Rabine’s effort to remove Pritzker from office. By the beginning of 2021, Bailey’s campaign garnered $180,000. He promised residents that if elected he would cut taxes by his second term.

"For decades, this man and his party drove the bad decisions that decimated our state. But listen, don't think that just because he's gone that his policies are going to disappear anytime soon," he said. "Because of the bad decisions that he has made, businesses are fleeing Illinois, and our friends and family are fleeing with them. Illinois lost 850,000 people in the last decade to other states. People have left looking for work. Our family and friends have left looking for affordable housing. Our family and friends are leaving because of high taxes. Gov. Pritzker and Illinois Democrats, they failed us and it's time to stop it."