Lake County Gazette

Republican state Senate candidate Tom McCullagh rages that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s style of governance couldn’t be coming at a worse time for the people of Illinois.

“He’s playing politics with people’s lives at a time when many of them are at their most vulnerable,” McCullagh told the Lake County Gazette. “And by doing so, he’s putting a chokehold on businesses that will cause massive economic devastation.”

Citing rising infection rates, the governor recently moved to reenact COVID-19 restrictions in a flood of counties scattered across the state. The move has instantly raised the ire of many small business owners who are still reeling from the impact of the governor’s initial shutdown order.

“I don’t see how Illinois can continue to be Illinois with what he’s doing” added McCullagh, who is running against Democrat Meg Loughran Cappel for the right to replace outgoing state Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) in the 49th District. “This is government overreach in the worst way and the legislature isn’t doing anything to stop him. It just makes you angrier to think he’s doing all this because he thinks it will make it easier for him to get the federal bailout he wants. If lawmakers were doing their jobs, they would demand to be back in session. Instead, they’re sacrificing the people and businesses of Illinois just for political gain.”

Given the increasingly high stakes, McCullagh said he isn’t surprised to now see so many small business owners fighting back, including launching a Facebook page where owners planning to defy his order can go to strategize and vent their frustrations.

“I implore everyone to stand up and fight,” McCullagh added. “We have to remember just because the governor issues an order doesn’t make it the law. He doesn’t get to make laws and I’m every hoping small business owner will defy him on this.”