SPRINGFIELD — State Sen. Darren Bailey saw an endorsement from Donald Trump as key to winning the Republican nomination for governor, traveling to the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach in April to make his case.
Bailey got Trump’s support just days before the primary election. But on Tuesday, Bailey didn’t want to talk about Trump. When asked about his view of the legitimacy of the U.S. House select Jan. 6 committee looking into Trump’s role in fomenting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Bailey refused to answer.
Asked if his reticence to speak about Trump was part of a calculated effort by the far-right conservative to make himself more palatable to a general election audience in his race against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Bailey said he was focused on Illinois and was not running for federal office.
