Darren Bailey Shoots $42B Budget With Rifle In Bid For Governor

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Candidate for Illinois governor and Republican State Sen. Darren Bailey — who previously filed a lawsuit against current Gov. J.B. Pritzker — took to TikTok for the first time on Saturday to share a few thoughts about the recently passed $42.2 billion budget proposal.

In the debut video, Bailey holds thousands of pages of what he says is the Illinois budget proposal in his hands with what appears to be a semiautomatic sporting rifle slung on his back.

While Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" plays in the background, Bailey tells viewers he is finally ready to respond to his constituent's questions about his feelings on the bill.

"Friends, Illinois Republicans had less than six hours to review over 3,800 pages of the budget this year," he said. "This entire week people have been asking me how I feel about the budget. I'm having a hard time putting it into words."

Wordlessly, Bailey loads the rifle, takes aim and fires a single shot at the stack of paper, sending pages flying.

In a description of the video, the Xenia native said he wants to see more accountability in the state's "pork-filled" budget.

"I support a zero-based budget where every department makes a case for every dollar spent to provide accountability," Bailey said. "I also support identifying and eliminating unfunded mandates that increase property taxes and make it harder for working families."

Lawmakers approved the $42.2 billion budget during an overtime session on June 1.

In May 2020, Bailey was escorted out of a legislative session for refusing to wear a mask.

Bailey joins former State Sen. Paul Schimpf and McHenry County businessman Gary Rabin in the race to unseat Pritzker — if he runs for re-election after hinting he may not — next year.

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