Chicago City Wire

Questions about when GOP gubernatorial candidate Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin will emerge are whirling after WGN reported he has no plans yet of attending a debate they’ve proposed.

"News: IL GOP governors debate May 24 at 7 pm on @WGNNews with Bailey, Sullivan and Rabine. Schimpf and Irvin yet to confirm," Politico reporter Shia Kapos posted on Twitter. 

Irvin similarly skipped the Central Illinois Republican Governor Candidate Forum, which was held Monday, April 25, at Five Points Washington. GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), businessman Gary Rabine, former senator Paul Schimpf, businessman Jesse Sullivan and attorney Max Solomon were able to attend the event. Some in the GOP ranks have been more vocal about Irvin’s absence in public forums. 

"You know why this gentleman over here, that's not here, has spent 80% of his $12.5 million just attacking me?" Bailey explained to the audience at the debate. "Because I’m winning, and he knows it.”

Irvin has been notably absent from the campaign trail. His major public exposure stemmed from allegations that he "rigged" a Republican primary straw poll in Lake County. 

"They had no idea who was running, or who they were voting for," a source present, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, told Lake County Gazette. "They were directed where to walk and when to leave."

Irvin’s campaign team is alleged to have bused in a group of elderly Indians, according to the Gazette. The participants were handed pre-filled ballots with Irvin’s name already selected. A former elected official of Indian descent with ties to an area senior citizen’s home specializing in the care of the Indian population was tied to the event. 

"I expected that only registered voters who vote in Republican primaries could vote," a source told the Gazette. "They were clearly from outside of Lake County and had no connection to our county Republican Party. But all were voting for Richard Irvin."