Exclusive: Aaron Del Mar responds after George Floyd remarks spark controversy
Aaron Del Mar addresses recording of controversial George Floyd comments
Aaron Del Mar, former gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey's running mate, is responding to a recording of comments he made about George Floyd.
CHICAGO - As Illinois' gubernatorial race heats up, FOX Chicago Political Reporter and Editor Brandon Pope has obtained audio of Republican lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar referring to George Floyd as "one of the grossest human beings ever" during a public town hall.
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering Floyd in May 2020.
Aaron Del Mar addresses George Floyd comments
The backstory:
Del Mar made the remark Monday during a public town hall in McHenry County. While criticizing Gov. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Del Mar contrasted the closures of businesses and houses of worship with the large protests against police violence that continued during the summer of 2020.
"The rest of us—your store’s closed. My business, my business got brought to its knees. I mean, we struggled, right? Nothing was working. Nothing was open. But J.B. Pritzker said it’s okay to be locked arm in arm when George Floyd, one of the grossest human beings ever, got killed. And they’re arm in arm walking down Chicago—10,000 of them—when the rest of us can’t go to church. That’s the guy we’re talking about," Del Mar said.
Two people who attended the town hall corroborated the authenticity of the recording.
During an exclusive interview with Pope on "The Chicago Report," Del Mar acknowledged making the remark but did not apologize. When asked what he would say to Black Illinoisans who were offended by his comments, Del Mar shifted the discussion to public safety and said he would work to address violence in communities across the state.
What's next:
Del Mar is Darren Bailey’s running mate in the Republican campaign to unseat Pritzker. The most recent publicly documented statewide head-to-head poll—conducted by Victory Research in November 2025—showed Pritzker leading Bailey 54 percent to 34 percent, with 12 percent undecided.
Del Mar maintains that the Republican ticket can close that gap by making inroads in Chicago and its suburbs.
The Source: The information in this report came from audio obtained by FOX Chicago, two attendees who corroborated the recording, an exclusive FOX Chicago interview with Aaron Del Mar, public statements made during the McHenry County town hall, and publicly available polling data from Victory Research.