(The Center Square) – Gubernatorial candidates are pushing for votes with the Illinois primary election less than one week away.
Four Republicans are seeking to challenge incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.
Rick Heidner said President Donald Trump has built up the United States as a business while Pritzker has driven businesses out of Illinois.
“He has no focus at all on building anything. It’s all become a state of taking and taking and taking everything they can take from you,” Heidner told The Center Square.
Ted Dabrowski said he’s building a coalition.
“Being half Hispanic and half Polish, I’ve been reaching out to a lot of the ethnic communities. They’re engaged. They care a lot about what’s happening here. They don’t like how far left everything has gone,” Dabrowski told The Center Square.
The former Wirepoints president said he also gained endorsements from traditional Republican groups in Chicago and across the suburbs.
On Monday evening, Dabrowski, Heidner and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick attended a debate in Northbrook, hosted by Students for Illinois.
Dabrowski said young people are asking the right questions.
“They’re asking about housing affordability, college affordability, safety. They have the same concerns many ordinary Illinoisans do. They want to see Illinois thrive and they want to be able to stay here,” Dabrowski said.
Heidner said young people at the debate liked his proposal to waive income taxes on downpayment savings by first-time homebuyers.
“When they save money, whatever they put down on their first home and not only the kids, any first-time homebuyer, I don’t want to charge them any income tax on that amount of money for that one year,” Heidner said.
2022 GOP nominee Darren Bailey did not participate in the debate on Monday night.
Mendrick’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for an interview.
Election Day in Illinois is next Tuesday, March 17. Early voting started on February 4.
