Chicago Police Union President Praises GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Darren Bailey

The president of the Chicago police union stands with GOP candidate Darren Bailey for governor of Illinois as the city faces a pressing crime wave.

Speaking at an event in the city of O’Fallon, John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said state senator Bailey would be a better governor than the incumbent J.B. Pritzker.

“One of the first conversations we’ve had was about pensions and the concerns about pensions — and promises made need to be promises kept,” said Catanzara.

“To his credit, senator Bailey has done something that you have rarely seen in politics in Chicago specifically or even Springfield,” he added. “He has said ‘I don’t know everything about everything. I need to be informed on greater levels so I can make informed decisions going forward on what’s not only good for Chicago but the rest of the state as a whole.'”

Bailey has advocated a tough-on-crime platform while opposing the state’s no-cash-bail model, known as the SAFE-T Act.

“These men and women who serve in law enforcement, they’re heroes,” Bailey said this week. “Unfortunately, Mayor Lightfoot, Governor J.B. Pritzker and the other elite radicals in our state see our police members as the enemy.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is calling for Chicago police to reform foot pursuit policy amid the unrest that followed a video release of an officer shooting a 13-year-old on March 29, 2021. https://t.co/ZDGDMhO0BO

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Bailey has also called to reinstate the death penalty for cop killers.

“The same so-called reform package makes it harder to charge murder accomplices and allows for anonymous and unsworn complaints to be filed against law enforcement officers,” Bailey said.

Darren Bailey handily won the Republican gubernatorial primary in June, claiming 57 percent of the vote over his opponents.

“Friends, tonight your voices were finally heard. The voices of working families, parents, taxpayers, law enforcement and everyday citizens,” Bailey said upon his primary victory. “Tonight our movement sent a clear message to the establishment and the political elites: We will not be ignored.”