Bailey proposes ‘Illinois DOGE’ as Republican governor’s race focuses on spending

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. 

“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.  

Read more: Trump administration freezes $10B in social service, child care funding for Illinois, 4 other blue 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.  

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.