Published August 14, 2026 at 9:53 AM CDT

The Democratic and Republican candidates for governor discussed issues on a central Illinois farm during a political roundtable event. Gov. JB Pritzker and Darren Bailey appeared separately, but the event was notable as this time of the year has often been viewed as the kickoff to the November election. Illinois State Fair political days are planned for next week.

For voters, Bailey versus Pritzker is familiar as the two faced off in the 2022 race for governor. We discuss some of the issues the two have staked out this time around.

We get an update on the Illinois House Speaker's effort to form a working group in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against a former representative. And the state is choosing to ignore vaccine guidance in President Trump's executive order issued this week.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Capitol News Illinois reporter Ben Szalinski.