Tulsi Gabbard endorses Bailey for governor

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) - Former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard endorsed Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) for governor Monday morning. The 2020 presidential candidate announced she was leaving the Democratic Party during the first episode of her podcast on Oct. 11. Gabbard was the nation’s first Hindu and Samoan-American in Congress.

Gabbard claimed the Democratic Party supports open borders, stokes racism and demonizes law enforcement. The Hawaii native said people should reject anti-freedom ideals and Gov. JB Pritzker’s far-left policies that “failed the people of Illinois.”

The Iraq veteran said people are struggling to pay for food, gas and energy for their homes while Pritzker’s campaign donors get richer and violent criminals are released back onto the streets.

“It’s time for new leadership, and I urge you to elect Darren Bailey as your next governor,” Gabbard said. “He is a farmer who knows what it means to put in an honest day’s work, puts people first and is not beholden to the political insiders who have corrupted the Illinois government.”

Gabbard will speak at a Bailey campaign rally with Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy Monday night in Glen Ellyn. The downstate lawmaker said Gabbard understands that Illinois voters need to stand up to extremists, put people ahead of politics and do what’s right. Bailey said he can unite Illinoisans by focusing on tax relief, safer streets and improving schools.

“JB Pritzker has divided our state over the last four years with his failed policies and extreme ideology,” Bailey said. “I will restore common sense in Springfield and work hard every day to make everyday life safer and more affordable for every Illinoisan.”

The Pritzker campaign said Bailey is desperate if he is campaigning with a Russia sympathizer and conspiracy theorist. They noted that Tulsi Gabbard said the Ukraine war and suffering could have easily been avoided if the Biden administration and NATO acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.

Forbes and other national news organizations have also reported that Gabbard shared false information about U.S. involvement in Ukrainian biological labs. The White House and NATO warned that the Russian conspiracy about the United States developing biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine could be justification for a Russian attack.

The Pritzker administration also said that Gabbard previously worked for an anti-gay organization that supported conversion therapy. Gabbard apologized for her anti-LGBTQ views before launching her presidential run, but she later introduced a proposal to ban trans women and girls from female sports.

“Title IX is being weakened by some states who are misinterpreting [it], creating uncertainty, undue hardship, and lost opportunities for female athletes,” Gabbard said on Dec. 11, 2020. “Our legislation protects Title IX’s original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex.”

Pritzker campaign press secretary Eliza Glezer said Bailey and Gabbard will say or do anything to get elected, but they have no real values or moral compass other than hatred.

“It is no surprise Darren Bailey has to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find campaign surrogates in the final days of this election,” Glezer said. “Disliked by Republicans and Democrats alike, Tulsi Gabbard has repeatedly shown that her loyalties lie with foreign adversaries. Darren Bailey should answer for why he is so proud to campaign with a Trump-aligned, Russian apologist.”

Gabbard campaigned with Republican Congressional candidate Esther Joy King in Freeport on Oct. 19.