Pritzker, Bailey seek to convince farmers at forum they’re the best for agriculture

Illinois farmers heard pitches from Gov. JB Pritzker and downstate Republican farmer Darren Bailey on Monday as each argued they’re best positioned to address agricultural issues.

Bailey, a former state lawmaker who was also his party’s nominee for governor in 2022, told the crowd at the candidate forum — hosted by the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable on a farm south of Bloomington — that he speaks their language and best understands the challenges they face.

Pritzker, the two-term Democratic governor who owns horse farms in Wisconsin and Florida, argued his record shows he’s been a better friend to farmers than Bailey’s party, which must answer for price hikes caused by President Donald Trump’s policies.

“We have everything that we need; we are just lacking leadership,” Bailey said, pledging to be a “spokesman” for farmers as governor.

But Bailey’s record doesn’t show he can deliver results for farmers, Pritzker said to reporters following the forum.

“Darren Bailey hasn’t done anything for farms,” Pritzker said. “He passed two bills when he was in the state legislature and they had nothing to do with farms. And he doesn’t have a proposal for anybody that makes sense.”

The candidates spoke to farmers for nearly an hour each and did not cross paths.

In a nearly 20-minute stump speech before taking moderated questions, Pritzker leaned heavily on his overall governing record, citing broad economic development achievements as evidence he is a good governor for farmers. He also tried to level with the audience about his agricultural knowledge.

“Know what you don’t know and be willing to ask for help from people who are smarter than you are,” Pritzker told the crowd. “And that’s why about six years ago, I hired Jerry Costello as the director of the Department of Agriculture.”

Estate tax

Both candidates agreed that Illinois needs to reform the estate tax. The issue has long been a top priority for the state’s farmers, who say taxes are strangling farming families and making it harder for new generations to continue the business. Right now, a deceased farmer’s family is required to pay taxes on the whole estate if it’s valued above $4 million.

Bailey said the state’s tax rate should at least match the federal exemption of $30 million for families. He got emotional describing how families struggle to keep farms alive when the primary owner passes away and surviving family members must pay taxes on the estate. He said the state’s current policies are driving farmers out of Illinois.

Pritzker said he supports a bill with bipartisan support in the General Assembly called the Family Farm Preservation Act, which would exempt the first $6 million of any estate meeting farm property qualifications from being taxed.

“It’s time for us to make sure that farmers can hand their farms down through the generations as they have been for many generations up to now with less tax on that transfer,” Pritzker said.

Data centers and energy

How to regulate data centers was also a hot topic at the forum, with many farmers concerned about rising utility prices, water usage and how much land the expansive facilities occupy.

Pritzker pledged to “hold their feet to the fire” and make sure data centers are supplying their own water and electricity.

But Bailey said Pritzker has pushed “too fast” for a transition to clean energy and should’ve foreseen earlier how much power data centers were going to require. He also said the state should end its ban on new coal and natural gas plants to help deal with the utility problem.

Working with Washington

As the candidates debated agricultural issues, Pritzker blamed many problems on Trump.

“Without a farm bill, without FEMA dollars or a cessation of international hostilities, a divided Washington is hanging our farm communities out to dry,” Pritzker said.

Bailey is a supporter of Trump and defended the president’s tariffs.

“I do believe that these tariffs that are imposed … (are) a short-term pain for a long-term gain, and I believe it’s the only tool that we have to be competitive again,” Bailey said.

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Don Tracy also participated in the forum. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the Democratic nominee, was a no-show. Her campaign confirmed she was participating in fundraisers and other events on Martha’s Vineyard.

“It does seem like a misplaced priority to go to a fundraiser instead of a meeting with the Illinois Farm Bureau,” Tracy said.

In a statement, Stratton’s campaign said she will meet with the organization next week and “has been a strong advocate for Illinois’s farms and farmers.”