A Chicago man has been charged with sending Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey a voicemail threatening to “mutilate and kill” him.
The police report said Scott Lennox, 21, used his cellphone on Oct. 28 at 10:27 p.m. to send Bailey a voicemail threatening the candidate.
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Lennox was charged with three felony counts of threatening a public official, telephone harassment, and harassment by electronic communications. He is slated to have his bail hearing Wednesday after being arrested Tuesday by local police.
“Divisive, inflammatory, and misleading rhetoric is driving hatred across our state as some attempt to label political opponents as dangerous threats. Whether we agree or disagree on policies, we are all Americans. I pray this young man gets the help he needs. We must bring our state together and fight for the safety and prosperity of every Illinoisan,” Bailey’s campaign said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Bailey’s opponent, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) denounced the threat, saying in a tweet, “Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois.”
The violent rhetoric and division we’re seeing across our country is unacceptable. Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois. https://t.co/GBNxAA9KAE
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) November 2, 2022
The arrest of Lennox comes days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi was assaulted by a home intruder who was seeking to attack the congresswoman. The attack on Pelosi’s husband led various lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to condemn the violence.
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Pritzker is expected to defeat Bailey in the election in the deep-blue state next Tuesday, with RealClearPolitics rating the race “leans Democratic.”
