Chambana Sun

State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) is advocating for Black voters to consider candidate over party. 

The move is part of a larger drive of Black leaders asking voters to question how Democrats are treating the black community. 

“The Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln,” Halbrook told Chambana Sun. “We as a party have long championed civil rights and certainly Republicans have long tried to find ways to connect with minority voters. I think we are making some inroads, but we have a long way to go. We need to build on the inroads we are making and bring more minority voters into the Republican party. We share a love of country, a profound belief in God, and a belief in traditional values. We have a lot in common and hopefully, we can build on that commonality.” 

“I think minority voters need to ask themselves what the Democratic Party is doing for them," Halbrook added. "Democrats continue to raise taxes and their policies have led directly to record-high inflation. Their policies are hurting working families. What have the Democrats done to earn the votes of working people? I think if minority voters—really, all voters asked themselves these questions—they would find themselves voting Republican.”

The continued schism between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois' Black community is becoming wider and more important relevant as around a third of the Democrat vote comes from the Black community. Pritzker left the state’s black entrepreneurs out of lucrative state licenses for recreational marijuana facilities. Former ABC 7 reporter Charles Thomas noted that Democrats have been not been true to the Black community for years by providing bad public services and passing over local politicians and businessmen. Thomas, a paid spokesman with the People Who Play By the Rules PAC which opposes Pritzker, criticized those who voted for Pritzker solely because he is a Democrat. “(Pritzker) out of whole cloth created a brand new industry, this cannabis industry, and he said there would be equity. Those are his words, equity. In other words, we were going to get 15 to 20 percent of all this business, which is a multibillion-dollar business, now. We got nothing,” Thomas said on The Brunch Brunch On 1390.

The concern is one of many the Black politicians have brought up throughout the campaign despite the toll the War on Drugs took on the Black community, the governor gave recreational marijuana licenses in those communities to “rich white people,” cutting out the black community from the coveted business licenses, creating displeasure in the community, according to Prairie State Wire.

Despite Pritzker touting that in that of the granted licenses, "40% have gone to people of color. And the whole point of it is to make sure that there is equity across our state for people who've been left out and left behind, who've been the victims of the war on drugs," the sentiment from the Black community has been noted by his opponent.

“Governor Pritzker for four years, 'equity, equity, equity,'" GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey said at the Oct. 18 debate. "And he finally had his opportunity with the recreational marijuana dispensaries and he failed again. I'm out in the black community – you probably saw me on Facebook a few weeks ago since you saw everything else – when I was walking with the black community up and down the streets of Chicago and they were screaming foul because they can't get the licenses.”  

The comment came after WGN news anchor and debate moderator Tahman Bradley asked the governor why the Black community had been left out of the process. “Let's talk about equity and recreational use cannabis. The state's program went online in 2020. The first predominantly Black-owned craft grow house recently opened in the state. But Governor, since 2020, more than 340 licenses have been given out and only one has been given to a minority owner. Governor. When will you make good on your promise to diversify the lucrative cannabis industry?” Bradley asked.

In a recorded call, Pritzker was caught by the FBI discussing with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich which Black candidates were “least offensive” before discussing then-Secretary of State Jesse White, WTTW reported. The conversation was one of a series in which Pritzker schemed with Blagojevich on an appointment to public office. The two also joked about former president Barack Obama’s mixed-race background. "You can argue he's, you know, he's got a lot in common with Obama, he's black and white. Ha. How stupid is that?" Blagojevich said. Pritzker can be heard chuckling on the audio. "That's good," Pritzker said praising Blagojevich for the racial joke. "That's good.” He also is heard reassuring Blagojevich, “You don’t have to put an African-American in that spot” if he were to appoint Jesse White. Blagojevich was later sentenced to 14 years in prison and Pritzker leveraged his massive personal fortune to become governor.