Will County Gazette

Tom McCullagh finds no joy in being able to boast about one of his boldest COVID predictions proving to be spot on.

“I’ve always said this day was coming and things would come to this,” McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. “It should have never come to this and I don’t know if Illinois will ever look the same again.”

A new survey by small business referral network Alignable found that 56% of all the state’s bar and restaurant owners were unable to make full rent payments in December as the sting of the governor’s ongoing ban on indoor dining took greater effect.

Nationally, that figure stands at 61%, up 19% from just a month earlier with the harshest part of the winter season still yet to come. In Illinois, the number of restaurants now unable to make full rent payments has already more than doubled since September.

“And it’s not just the small business owners that are being hurt by the governor’s executive orders,” added McCullagh, who netted nearly 44% of the vote in his run for senate in the 49th District. “Think about all the employees now out of work and not getting paid because of the way he has forced these businesses to close. I still don’t understand how he can think you can go to Wal-Mart or stand in line for hours to buy the new iPhone and everything is fine but you can’t eat at a restaurant.”

McCullagh argues all the governor has to do is open his eyes to see how flawed his logic truly is.

“Look at all the other states where they’ve allowed their restaurants to remain open, but their caseloads are no greater than ours,” he said. “I hope it’s all seeping in with the governor because too much more of this will mean us not having an economy.”