Bailey Says He'd Suspend Illinois Gas Tax For 6 Months As Governor

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey says he would suspend Illinois' gas tax for six months after taking office, the latest in a series of campaign promises focused on lowering what motorists pay to drive in the state.

"There will be an executive order to suspend the gas tax for 6 months," Bailey's campaign said in a graphic posted to his X account Thursday and labeled "Day One."

The post did not specify which fuel tax Bailey intends to suspend, what legal authority he believes would allow a governor to do so by executive order or how lost transportation revenue would be replaced.

Bailey Ties Gas-Tax Pledge To Tollway Fight

The gas-tax proposal follows a broader Bailey push to reduce what Illinois motorists pay to use the state's roads.

In a campaign video posted to X, Bailey said he wants to stop the newly approved toll increase, replace Illinois Tollway leadership, halt new borrowing and direct additional money toward paying down the agency’s roughly $7.2 billion in debt.

"Once the large debt is gone, the tolls are gone," Bailey said. "It’s that simple."

Bailey framed the proposal around a decades-old promise that the Illinois tollway system would eventually become toll-free, arguing that state leaders instead continued borrowing and expanding the system.

AAA reported Thursday that the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Illinois was about $4.40, nearly 30 cents higher than a month ago and more than $1 above the $3.39 average recorded a year earlier. The national average was about $4.10 a gallon, putting Illinois prices roughly 30 cents above the national mark.

The Illinois Tollway recently approved a $26.5 billion capital program that includes higher toll rates beginning in 2027. Bailey called the increase the largest in state history and said his administration would first try to stop it before pursuing the longer-term elimination of tolls.

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Bailey also acknowledged that eliminating tolls would not be immediate, saying his administration would need to work with the General Assembly to accelerate repayment of existing debt before toll collections could end.

Pritzker Defends Tollway Spending

Gov. JB Pritzker, meanwhile, has defended the increased toll revenue as necessary to maintain and expand the road system and support economic growth.

"We want to make sure that our roads are pothole-free, that we’re making sure to build more so that we can build our economy across the state of Illinois," Pritzker told reporters Wednesday.

Pritzker also criticized Bailey's longer-term proposal to eliminate tolls, arguing it would shift the cost of maintaining Chicago-area toll roads onto taxpayers in other parts of Illinois.

The approved $26.5 billion, 15-year capital program will raise the most common passenger toll by 45 cents for I-PASS users beginning Jan. 1. Drivers without I-PASS will pay 90 cents more, while commercial vehicle tolls will rise about 30 percent.

Bailey has framed the toll increase as another affordability hit, saying Illinois families are already paying more for gas, groceries and utilities.

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