After Minneapolis shootings, GOP governor candidates talk about police, protester divide

As fallout from a second fatal shooting by federal authorities continues to roil Minnesota, Republican candidates for Illinois governor weighed in during a weekend forum in the suburbs.

The contenders include DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, video gambling magnate Rick Heidner, former Wirepoints chief Ted Dabrowski and 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey.

During the Sunday forum in McHenry, candidates were asked “as governor, where would you draw the line between peaceful protests and criminal behavior?”

McHenry County GOP Voter Information Project organizers also queried, “how would you act decisively to protect public safety and support law enforcement when that line is crossed?”

Dabrowski, of Wilmette, said “we’re seeing a massive problem right now. I totally support protests. That’s our freedom to protest. We have to protect that.”

But he accused Gov. JB Pritzker of “fomenting violence” with “nasty” name-calling.

“It’s the same thing you’re seeing in Minnesota. And when people start putting themselves in front of law enforcement, there is going to be trouble, so we can’t do that any more,” Dabrowski said.

Regarding “illegal immigrant criminals … if we just hand them over directly to federal officials, we will not have to chase them in the street, we will not have these violent protests,” Dabrowski commented.

Heidner said, “100% we have to protect our police, we have to let them do their jobs.”

“If we would have done it the right way in the first place, if we would have just cooperated with the federal government, and we would have turned over the criminals, if we would have done all the things that we were supposed to, none of this would have happened,” he added.

Heidner also contended that unnamed groups are “paying people to protest, to create chaos in the streets. Those people have to be accountable. Those are people that should be put in jail,” the Barrington Hills resident said.

Mendrick of Woodridge said, “I will support our police. I will support my brothers and sisters in blue.”

He cited street takeovers in Chicago that are “creating chaos” and preventing police and firefighters from reaching emergencies.

“You know what happens when they did street takeovers in DuPage County?” Mendrick asked. “Two squad cars, two squad cars, two squad cars, two squad cars (from different directions) arrest everything in between, and impound every single car. We do not tolerate this in DuPage County; we won’t tolerate it in the state of Illinois with me as your governor.”

Former state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia had a family obligation and could not attend the forum.

His running mate Aaron Del Mar responded to a Daily Herald request to the Bailey campaign for a comment Monday.

“This is a time for cooperation, not conflict,” said Del Mar, the Cook County Republican Party chair. “State, local, and federal leaders must work together to keep communities safe. As a country, we are stronger when we come together, listen to one another, and choose unity and respect over division.

“I support the right to peaceful protest, and I also believe in respecting the men and women who serve in law enforcement,” he added.

The primary election is March 17.