Illinois Valley Times

At a March 31 press conference, Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) accused Gov. J.B. Pritzker of being behind attack ads against gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin.

"We're here today to discuss Gov. Pritzker’s meddling and blatant attempt to hijack the Republican primary by having his allies at the Democratic Governors Association run false ads on Richard Irvin," Rezin said. "The simple truth is that Pritzker is weak and he knows it. He knows he can't match Richard Irvin’s strong record when it comes to crime and his support of law enforcement."

Rezin said the SAFE-T Act is a hindrance to Pritzker's hopes for re-election.

“That bill was a slap in the face for the law enforcement community and Pritzker proudly signed it into law. He paraded around the state to tout his accomplishment and now when his re-election is in trouble ... he hides behind the Democratic insider groups to meddle in the Republican primary and try to stop the strongest candidate in the race," Rezin said. "Pritzker can hide behind the DGA but he can’t hide behind his dangerous record on public safety and that has put many of our communities across the state at risk."

According to ABC 7 Chicago, Pritzker has contributed about $3 million to the Democratic Governors Association; the most recent contribution was $250,000 at the end of 2021.

ABC 7 Chicago said the DGA is spending around $700,000 on the campaign.

“He’s got all the money in the world, but he has allies in the Democratic Party that want to see him stay in office. And so they’re lending him a hand with these ads,” said Laura Washington, an ABC7 Chicago political analyst. Irvin launched an ad where he called himself the “Democrat’s worst nightmare.” Irvin also said that Pritzker is afraid of losing to him, according to ABC7 Chicago.