Darren Bailey woos press after years of media attacks as Republican continues to try to reset image

EAST PEORIA, Ill. - During his years on the political scene, Republican Darren Bailey hasn't been shy about criticizing the news media.

The farmer, former state lawmaker, and now two-time GOP nominee for governor, has said reporters perpetuate "biased narratives" and lean "hard left." He's parroted President Donald Trump's "fake news media" line.

But on Thursday, Bailey found himself in a hotel banquet room full of journalists from across the state as a guest speaker at the Illinois Press Association/Foundation's annual convention, the latest evolution in Bailey's efforts to reset his image. Since winning the GOP primary in March, Bailey has sought to create distance between himself and Trump as Bailey tries to find enough support among voters in solid-blue Illinois to defeat two-term Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.

"If I thought the media was the enemy, I wouldn't be here tonight," Bailey told the Tribune after about 10 minutes of remarks and five minutes of audience questions. "So I'm here and I want to work with the press."

From the podium, Bailey pledged that, if elected, he would regularly make himself available to reporters, answer tough questions and even "invite the press into the room" during budget negotiations.

"I believe spending the people's money should be an open and transparent process," he said.

But he also aired grievances. He said he wished reporters would focus on "more issue-oriented coverage" - high property taxes, slow professional licensing, the state budget - rather than asking him about Trump.

"Instead of fielding questions about licensing requirements or the cost of living, I have reporters still asking me about what happened nationally six years ago," Bailey said. "And whether President Trump puts out something controversial on social media, I get asked about those too."

As recently as May 1, Bailey told GlobalNetTV, which airs religious programming, that Illinois media was "leaning hard left," recounting an episode from his 2022 gubernatorial campaign when a reporter asked him about Trump at a news conference he had called to discuss the state's child welfare agency.

"The first question out of the media's mouth, it had to do with our president and just trying to push me in a corner," Bailey said in that interview. "I was so frustrated."

His softer tone toward the media is part of a general repositioning by the candidate who once called Chicago a "hellhole" before walking it back. He recently appeared before the Chicago City Council and apologized for things he had said about the city "that were wrong" - a notably un-Trump-like move for a politician who has closely aligned himself with the president.

Trump encouraged Bailey to run for governor again after a helicopter crash last year killed Bailey's son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, but stopped short of a formal endorsement this time. In 2022, Bailey actively sought and received Trump's backing in the GOP primary.

Bailey faces a steep climb against Pritzker, who defeated him by nearly 13 percentage points in 2022 and is now seeking a third term. No Republican has won statewide office in Illinois since Bruce Rauner in 2014. Rauner lost to Pritzker in 2018.

Bailey's financial position is dramatically weaker as he makes his second bid against Pritzker. Bailey's campaign had less than $82,000 in its account through March, according to the most recent quarterly filing with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune who is also considering a 2028 presidential run, reported more than $14 million during the same period.

Pritzker was also invited to speak at the Illinois Press Association event, organizers said. The governor was not able to attend, though he recorded a video message for attendees.

Following Bailey's appearance, Pritzker's campaign did not let the evening pass without comment.

"After years of attacking and disparaging members of the media, he's now hoping no one will remember his blatant attacks on the free press," Pritzker's campaign said in a statement. "But despite his plea for forgiveness, journalists will continue to report the facts. And the fact is that Darren Bailey and his extreme MAGA positions are wildly out of touch with Illinois voters."

During the question-and-answer session with reporters at the convention, Bailey was pressed to name the non-governmental organizations he said the state could be improperly funding. He declined.

"I don't want to sit here and name names right now and put people on notice," he said. "It's not fair without getting into the budget and pointing this out."

He had called such groups "a mechanism to be able to commit a lot of waste and fraud and abuse" without providing evidence of wrongdoing.

Bailey also included in his remarks a nod to the inherent tension between politicians and the press - and a line that drew some laughter.

"It has been said that bad press is good press, but I can tell you that's not true," he said.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 1:44 PM.