Bailey proposes ‘Illinois DOGE’ as Republican governor’s race focuses on
spending
[January 09, 2026]
By Ben Szalinski
SPRINGFIELD — President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s Department of
Government Efficiency disbanded less than a year into Trump’s second
term and appeared to have caused more chaos than actual savings to the
federal government.
But Illinois Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey says a
DOGE-like system can achieve savings and efficiencies in Illinois’
budget.
“It needs to be broken down,” Bailey told reporters at a news conference
at the Statehouse Thursday in Springfield. “It needs to be audited. It
needs to be opened up so that people know where the money’s coming from.
I am very confident there are going to be a lot of waste discovery in
that.”
Bailey also announced a plan to address cost-of-living issues and other
areas that relies on DOGE-style governing to achieve results. The
commission under a Bailey governorship would be led by his running mate,
Aaron Del Mar.
Bailey and Del Mar did not specify any cuts they’ve already identified
but stressed it would not be a tool to lay off large numbers of state
employees or make cuts based on partisan politics — a difference from
Trump’s and Musk’s approach.
“We’re not going in here with a chainsaw,” Del Mar said. “We’re going in
here with an X-Acto knife. We are doing this as a purely public policy
effort. This is not politically driven.”
Musk waived a chainsaw on stage at a conservative event last year,
symbolizing his wide-ranging approach to government cuts. He later had a
falling out with Trump and left government service.
Bailey and Del Mar suggested numerous state boards and commissions
deserve more scrutiny, and any jobs or services that are duplicative
could be consolidated.
A spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker said he doesn’t trust the Bailey
campaign’s approach.
“He echoes Trump’s lies, copies Trump’s dangerous ideas, and wants to
bring Trump’s chaos to Illinois,” Alex Gough said in an email. “Make no
mistake: Bailey is running with Trump, embracing the same dysfunction
and broken promises that have repeatedly failed working families.”
Bailey said he is not concerned about naming something “DOGE” after the
scrutiny the program received in the Trump administration.
“People understand what it means,” Bailey said. “They’re going to have
to get over the federal situation and we’re going to understand we have
our own problems in Illinois. I am my own person, and I have proven
that, regardless of who I like, who I support.”
Bailey received Trump’s endorsement during his unsuccessful 2022
campaign and said on Thursday he is willing to accept it again.
Bailey’s priorities
Beyond the DOGE plan, the former state legislator from Clay County is
proposing a series of initiatives he hopes will address affordability.
Topping that list is utility prices, which have increased substantially
throughout the state. Bailey said he would repeal the 2021 Climate and
Equitable Jobs Act that many Republicans blame for rising prices and
dwindling supply. He also wants to require independent audits of major
utility contracts.
Bailey said he would cap annual property tax rates to not exceed a
person’s mortgage rate. In response, he said the state would do more to
fund education but did not elaborate on how much he would increase
spending for public schools to help them rely less on property taxes.
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Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey speaks at a news
conference with running mate Aaron Del Mar on Jan. 8, 2026. (Capitol
News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)
“Classrooms should focus on education, not political agendas,” Del Mar
said. “The blueprint prioritizes strong instruction in reading, writing,
math, science and civics. It supports parental involvement.”
Child care spending
The Trump administration has already tried slashing some spending in
Illinois. Most recently on Tuesday, the federal government cut off what
Pritzker’s office estimates is $1 billion in federal aid for child care
and other family assistance programs to Illinois. The Trump
administration claimed without evidence that the freeze was in response
to “widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars” in Illinois and
four other Democrat-led states.
“I think it’s fair for any administration to demand accountability,”
Bailey said when asked whether he agrees with the administration’s
decision.
One of Bailey’s opponents, conservative researcher Ted Dabrowski, is
also trying to score political points on the Trump administration’s
claims and a fraud scandal in Minnesota’s human services programs.
Dabrowski held a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday warning massive
spending on child care programs in Illinois could be a sign of fraud
like Minnesota. But he acknowledged he had no evidence there had been
any wrongdoing in Illinois. He suggested there should be audits to see
why child care spending has grown in Illinois in recent years.
Funding child care and preschool programs throughout Illinois has been
one of Pritzker’s top priorities during his second term and he has
included several spending increases for the programs in recent budgets.
He took office in the wake of a historic two-year budget impasse between
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats in the General Assembly that
was accompanied by massive spending cuts to social services.
First poll of the race
The first poll of the Republican primary for governor by Emerson College
was released Thursday by WGN and showed Bailey has a strong lead in the
primary.
Bailey received support from 34.4% of voters in the poll of 432 likely
GOP primary voters conducted Jan. 3-5. No other candidate cracked 10%,
with Dabrowski coming in second at 8.2%.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick was at 5.4% and businessman Rick
Heidner was at 1.1%. While Bailey holds a strong lead less than a month
before early voting begins on Feb. 5 for the March 17 primary, 46.4% of
voters were still undecided.
The GOP field was whittled down to four candidates on Thursday after the
State Board of Elections ruled Gregg Moore and Joseph Severino did not
submit enough valid signatures to remain on the ballot.
The economy was the top issue in the larger poll of 1,000 likely primary
voters for 40.4% of respondents followed by health care and threats to
democracy, each around 12%.
Pritzker’s approval rate is 50.6%, according to the poll.
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by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. |
