IL-Gov. 2018 Megathread

[Holmes]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-ken-griffin-20-million-met-20170517-story.html

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This race is going to be hell, 18 months of constant ads, big money, charges of corruption on both sides, most expensive race ever, yay.

Probably. Rauner must be super loaded to spend millions upon millions on a race he'll either lose or, in a fluke, barely hang on. I can't imagine having so much money.

[Virginiá]

This is kind of why I'd prefer JB this time around. After a certain point, money only helps so much, but it is definitely needed in these races. Further, a candidate who can't self-fund themselves next year will have a large disadvantage with their campaign and at the same time, will suck up donor money that should instead be going to legislative races, which money definitely does help.

[Gass3268]

Illinois AFL-CIO has endorsed J.B. Pritzker

[BuckeyeNut]

This is kind of why I'd prefer JB this time around. After a certain point, money only helps so much, but it is definitely needed in these races. Further, a candidate who can't self-fund themselves next year will have a large disadvantage with their campaign and at the same time, will suck up donor money that should instead be going to legislative races, which money definitely does help.

Kennedy can self-fund and isn't tainted from quid quo pro with Blago...

[Mike Thick]

This is kind of why I'd prefer JB this time around. After a certain point, money only helps so much, but it is definitely needed in these races. Further, a candidate who can't self-fund themselves next year will have a large disadvantage with their campaign and at the same time, will suck up donor money that should instead be going to legislative races, which money definitely does help.

Kennedy can self-fund and isn't tainted from quid quo pro with Blago...

Yeah, but he's just a crappy candidate

[windjammer]

It's funny how Bruce Rauner is becoming Blanche Lincoln the second:
-will heavily overperformoverperform his opponents
-will still get trounced

[Donerail]

Illinois AFL-CIO has endorsed J.B. Pritzker

Albeit on a relatively narrow vote, with most of the big unions (AFSCME and the teachers) opposed. This is essentially just a signal of support from the building trades - the big-money unions in the AFL-CIO, as well as the SEIU and the Teamsters, are still in play for the other candidates.

[Kingpoleon]

Illinois AFL-CIO has endorsed J.B. Pritzker

Very concerning when the interests of big business partner with the biggest labor union in America.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

State Rep. Drury announces bid. Of note, Rep Drury is the lone Illinois State House Democrat to vote against Michael Madigan for speaker.

Probably symbolic to burnish his "outsider credentials" and to try to create some lane to run, but still.

[muon2]

State Rep. Drury announces bid. Of note, Rep Drury is the lone Illinois State House Democrat to vote against Michael Madigan for speaker.

Probably symbolic to burnish his "outsider credentials" and to try to create some lane to run, but still.

Drury's outsider credentials are not symbolic. He's taken many tough stands against his party while in the House, including a "present" vote for Speaker at the start of this year. He will point at everyone else who may claim to be an outsider, but have failed to break from the machine when the pressure was on.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

State Rep. Drury announces bid. Of note, Rep Drury is the lone Illinois State House Democrat to vote against Michael Madigan for speaker.

Probably symbolic to burnish his "outsider credentials" and to try to create some lane to run, but still.

Drury's outsider credentials are not symbolic. He's taken many tough stands against his party while in the House, including a "present" vote for Speaker at the start of this year. He will point at everyone else who may claim to be an outsider, but have failed to break from the machine when the pressure was on.

Good to know, thank you.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Endorsing Drury

[Kingpoleon]

State Rep. Drury announces bid. Of note, Rep Drury is the lone Illinois State House Democrat to vote against Michael Madigan for speaker.

Probably symbolic to burnish his "outsider credentials" and to try to create some lane to run, but still.

Drury's outsider credentials are not symbolic. He's taken many tough stands against his party while in the House, including a "present" vote for Speaker at the start of this year. He will point at everyone else who may claim to be an outsider, but have failed to break from the machine when the pressure was on.

The Chicago machine is very concerning, and that's why I have aligned myself with Durbin and Bustos, although ideologically I'm more aligned with Dan Lipinski and (to a lesser extent) Napoleon Harris.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

Not related to candidate recruitment or anything. Sun Times with a pseudo-puff piece on Kennedy's ideas on property tax reform.

 I'm not sure how Kennedy would fare better than Rauner when it comes to working with the legislature (and the entrenched interests therein) in getting these reforms passed, though. With at least a semblance of plausible reforms for Illinois's fiscal state, Kennedy is immediately better than Pritzker. Of course, someone like Drury or Biss would serve as a more credible avatar for reforms aimed Dr breaking the status quo, but Kennedy isn't half bad.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

Bobby Rush (IL-1) endorses Kennedy. Luis Gutierrez (IL-4) endorses Pritzker.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-democrats-governor-endorsements-met-0620-20170619-story.html

[Suburbia]

Whoever wins the Illinois governorship in 2018, will have a difficult job. It's probably one of the toughest states to be a governor in America today.

It is going to be a nasty, bitter, expensive race that could see low turnout as the state is in such bad shape. Rauner, Quinn, and Blagojevich are partly to blame.

[Kingpoleon]

Bobby Rush (IL-1) endorses Kennedy. Luis Gutierrez (IL-4) endorses Pritzker.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-democrats-governor-endorsements-met-0620-20170619-story.html

Rush is a good man. The Corrupt Cook County Democrats are pretty bad - it says something about them that Rahm Emanuel is considered to be more of a reformist than the average Democratic politician from there. Of course, that's mainly because of his ties to Obama more than anything else.

[_]

Well so far things are looking good in the Dem primary, with the 2 frontrunners being J. B. Pritzker, who asked Blago for state Treasurer, and Chris "Anti Charisma" Kennedy.  Both would make it a tossup imo.

[Kingpoleon]

Well so far things are looking good in the Dem primary, with the 2 frontrunners being J. B. Pritzker, who asked Blago for state Treasurer, and Chris "Anti Charisma" Kennedy.  Both would make it a tossup imo.

Counting potential candidates, my IRV list is:
1. Chris Kennedy
2. Scott Drury
3. Daniel Hynes
4. Kwame Raoul


If it's Pritzker or Bliss vs. Rauner and Chad Grimm(L) doesn't run, then I'll probably support Rauner.

[_]

Well so far things are looking good in the Dem primary, with the 2 frontrunners being J. B. Pritzker, who asked Blago for state Treasurer, and Chris "Anti Charisma" Kennedy.  Both would make it a tossup imo.

Counting potential candidates, my IRV list is:
1. Chris Kennedy
2. Scott Drury
3. Daniel Hynes
4. Kwame Raoul


If it's Pritzker or Bliss vs. Rauner and Chad Grimm(L) doesn't run, then I'll probably support Rauner.

I understand being against Pritzker, but why against Bliss, I think he'd make it lean D.

[anthonyjg]

I saw Biss speak in person today and was fairly impressed with how he handled himself. I also got a chance to ask him about his pension reform bill in 2013. He said that he regretted his vote, saying that he incorrectly bought into the argument that the only options on the table were to gut Medicare and education or to go after pensions. He's a bit of a party hack, but at this point I'm fully behind him.

[Kingpoleon]

Well so far things are looking good in the Dem primary, with the 2 frontrunners being J. B. Pritzker, who asked Blago for state Treasurer, and Chris "Anti Charisma" Kennedy.  Both would make it a tossup imo.

Counting potential candidates, my IRV list is:
1. Chris Kennedy
2. Scott Drury
3. Daniel Hynes
4. Kwame Raoul


If it's Pritzker or Bliss vs. Rauner and Chad Grimm(L) doesn't run, then I'll probably support Rauner.

I understand being against Pritzker, but why against Bliss, I think he'd make it lean D.

Bliss isn't even close to being a centrist. Of the announced candidates, I think I would only support Kennedy or Drury.

[Aliens]

Here's a video with highlights of the Dem candidates (except for Drury and Hardiman) speaking at a pre-slating event in Cook County yesterday.

[RINO Tom]

I'm sure Governor Rauner's veto of the largest tax increase in Illinois history will somehow hurt him in his re-election bid.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs. Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same," Rauner said, in part, in his statement.

Illinois continues to dig its own grave.

[Virginiá]

I'm sure Governor Rauner's veto of the largest tax increase in Illinois history will somehow hurt him in his re-election bid.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs. Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same," Rauner said, in part, in his statement.

Illinois continues to dig its own grave.

Doesn't Illinois have some pretty serious debt and unfunded liabilities issues? Granted I don't know the entire situation behind this tax increase but in IL's current situation, it's not hard to say it is justified if the new taxes are are least mostly put towards those problems.