Pritzker, Bailey trade jabs in race for governor

(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey sat beside each other Tuesday night for a wide-ranging forum on policy proposals, including some that would impact taxpayers.

The candidate forum, which aired on Chicagoland PBS station WTTW, was advertised to differ from typical televised debates, but both Pritzker and Bailey often spoke over one another.

The candidates were asked about a number of different fiscal policies, including addressing the size of the $56 billion state budget.

Bailey opened the budgetary discussion by saying the state budget hasn’t truly been balanced in at least half a century.

“Over $200 billion dollars in pension liability. We look at a state across the border – at Indiana. They're setting on a $5 billion dollar surplus. They have a $1.5 billion dollar pension deficit. And we're setting on almost $200 billion,” Bailey said. “I don't know if people realize that or not, but in order to call the budget balanced, just push off the pension deficit and you put the retirement of our state workers at risk when you do that.”

Pritzker acknowledged the state’s debt and pension obligations, but said credit rating agencies, which have upgraded the state’s rating 13 times under his leadership, were the ones determining if the budget was balanced.