IL-Gov. 2018 Megathread

[RINO Tom]

Rauner is toast because of his abortion vote. Republicans will not turn out to vote for him in a Midterm.

Holy shlt, that is not why is toast ... heck, his abortion views probably helped him get elected in the first place.

[MAINEiac4434]

Senators Durbin and Duckworth endorse Pritzker

As does the IFT.

Duckworth had said she would wait for the primaries. I guess there really is no hope for Biss, huh?

[Donerail]

Senators Durbin and Duckworth endorse Pritzker

As does the IFT.

Duckworth had said she would wait for the primaries. I guess there really is no hope for Biss, huh?

Public sector unions would be his (well, with his record on pensions, Kennedy's) only hope of countering Pritzker financially. With IFT out (and SEIU/AFSCME sure to follow) that lane is now closed.

[IceSpear]

Senators Durbin and Duckworth endorse Pritzker

IL Dems will probably end up winning this race despite giving their best efforts to lose it, lol.

[RINO Tom]

Rauner is toast because of his abortion vote. Republicans will not turn out to vote for him in a Midterm.

Holy shlt, that is not why is toast ... heck, his abortion views probably helped him get elected in the first place.

He would have been toast either way, but he shouldn't expect voters who care about the issue to cast their ballot for him.

Why not?  They did before.  Sometimes you take what you can get.  I think there are tons of adamantly pro-choice people in West Virginia who voted for Joe Manchin each time.  (I know you think he is "fake pro-life" or whatever, but your standards are ... well, somewhat unreasonable from a neutral perspetive, IMO.)

[heatcharger]

IndyRep would prefer if government were filled with abortion ideologues like himself, so he'd take his ball and go home even if Rauner fits his views on most else. Not sure how many people in Illinois are like this, but I'd wager it's a small number.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Why not?  They did before.  Sometimes you take what you can get.  I think there are tons of adamantly pro-choice people in West Virginia who voted for Joe Manchin each time.  (I know you think he is "fake pro-life" or whatever, but your standards are ... well, somewhat unreasonable from a neutral perspetive, IMO.)

Manchin's voting record speaks for itself, I'd say. He's "pro-life" the same way Capito is "pro-choice".

Manchin voted Yes on a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=1&vote=00268

[RINO Tom]

Why not?  They did before.  Sometimes you take what you can get.  I think there are tons of adamantly pro-choice people in West Virginia who voted for Joe Manchin each time.  (I know you think he is "fake pro-life" or whatever, but your standards are ... well, somewhat unreasonable from a neutral perspetive, IMO.)

Manchin's voting record speaks for itself, I'd say. He's "pro-life" the same way Capito is "pro-choice".

Back on topic, though... I agree that Rauner is probably the lesser of two evils, but in IL that's really not saying much (I'd vote for a third-party candidate if I lived there). And if he's such a "reasonable" Republican and a "good fit" for his state, why is his approval rating so low? If you ask me, he'll end up like Mark Kirk, even if Pritzker wins the D nomination.

Because he is running in a deeply Democratic state that is so broken that it needs to hit rock bottom before it's fixed.  Democrats in the legislature won't budge and he refuses to govern like a Baker or Hogan because, well, that wouldn't address Illinois' problems.  Rauner will be defeated but not because of some immense flaw in him as a politician, I don't think ... he said he'd come in and implement conservative reform to try to move Illinois in a different direction; he did, and SHOCKER the voters don't like that either.  At this rate, there won't be nearly as many voters in 20 years, so maybe the politics will adjust accordingly.

[Ye We Can]

Why not?  They did before.  Sometimes you take what you can get.  I think there are tons of adamantly pro-choice people in West Virginia who voted for Joe Manchin each time.  (I know you think he is "fake pro-life" or whatever, but your standards are ... well, somewhat unreasonable from a neutral perspetive, IMO.)

Manchin's voting record speaks for itself, I'd say. He's "pro-life" the same way Capito is "pro-choice".

Back on topic, though... I agree that Rauner is probably the lesser of two evils, but in IL that's really not saying much (I'd vote for a third-party candidate if I lived there). And if he's such a "reasonable" Republican and a "good fit" for his state, why is his approval rating so low? If you ask me, he'll end up like Mark Kirk, even if Pritzker wins the D nomination.

Because he is running in a deeply Democratic state that is so broken that it needs to hit rock bottom before it's fixed.  Democrats in the legislature won't budge and he refuses to govern like a Baker or Hogan because, well, that wouldn't address Illinois' problems.  Rauner will be defeated but not because of some immense flaw in him as a politician, I don't think ... he said he'd come in and implement conservative reform to try to move Illinois in a different direction; he did, and SHOCKER the voters don't like that either.  At this rate, there won't be nearly as many voters in 20 years, so maybe the politics will adjust accordingly.

This essentially sums it up.

[The Other Castro]

Fundraising recap:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2018/01/02/sizing-up-governor-candidates-fundraising-234247

[Blair]

Those numbers are awful for Kennedy, and shows that he'll have to pray that name ID gets him 2nd place.

[Pollster]

Does anybody with a better knowledge of Illinois politics know what impact a Bernie Sanders endorsement of Biss in the final month would do to the primary race? Biss is trying hard to align himself with that sector of the party, and the 2016 primary was only a narrow win for HRC in IL.

[Catholics vs. Convicts]

Does anybody with a better knowledge of Illinois politics know what impact a Bernie Sanders endorsement of Biss in the final month would do to the primary race? Biss is trying hard to align himself with that sector of the party, and the 2016 primary was only a narrow win for HRC in IL.

It could mean something if Kennedy has left the race or is running at basically 0. Chuy has backed Kennedy, and it was Chuy's people that got behind Bernie in 2016. If they can build that coalition again with a Biss vs Pritzker only matchup, then I think there is a chance that Bernie could push Biss over the top.

[Donerail]

Kennedy has, uh, said some things today about Rahm that are worth a read

[MAINEiac4434]

Kennedy has, uh, said some things today about Rahm that are worth a read

wtf I love Chris Kennedy now

[MAINEiac4434]

And he’s not exactly wrong, either. We all know city hall is pro-gentrification. And the black population has decreased by almost 12% since 2010 (Rahm took office in 2011). The less poor blacks around, the rosier the city looks for developers and magnates.

Personally, I wouldn’t take it as far as Kennedy has. But to bring up that city hall is not exactly a friend to the city’s poor and black communities certainly isn’t wrong, and Kennedy should be commended for his bold stance.

[Rookie Yinzer]

And he’s not exactly wrong, either. We all know city hall is pro-gentrification. And the black population has decreased by almost 12% since 2010 (Rahm took office in 2011). The less poor blacks around, the rosier the city looks for developers and magnates.

Personally, I wouldn’t take it as far as Kennedy has. But to being up that city hall is not exactly a friend to the city’s poor and black communities certainly isn’t wrong, and Kennedy should be commended for his bold stance.

This. Rahm Emanuel is a real prick and I welcome any rebuke of his administration.

[Catholics vs. Convicts]

Well Kennedy is toast now.

[Pollster]

I do wonder if such a boneheaded (yet incredibly brave) political move is part of an exit strategy for Kennedy who is now third in fundraising and likely trailing Biss in internal polling.

A Kennedy endorsement of Biss mixed with an aforementioned Sanders endorsement could make this an incredibly interesting primary. Defeating Pritzker would send a major sign to Democratic leadership nationwide.

[Gass3268]

Rauner not only refuses to call Trump a racist, he refuses to call DAVID DUKE a racist

[KingSweden]

I do wonder if such a boneheaded (yet incredibly brave) political move is part of an exit strategy for Kennedy who is now third in fundraising and likely trailing Biss in internal polling.

A Kennedy endorsement of Biss mixed with an aforementioned Sanders endorsement could make this an incredibly interesting primary. Defeating Pritzker would send a major sign to Democratic leadership nationwide.

Isn’t Pritzker basically following the Phil Murphy template? (For better or worse)

[GlobeSoc]

If those fundraising numbers are true I might vote for Biss after all.

[Former Kentuckian]

If those fundraising numbers are true I might vote for Biss after all.

Illinois Sunshine via the Illinois State Board of Elections shows Biss comfortably ahead of Kennedy in money raised and cash on hand: https://illinoissunshine.org

[Donerail]

Kennedy's CoH is below $750k. Biss is fairly clearly the main opponent to Pritzker now

[KingSweden]

Kennedy's CoH is below $750k. Biss is fairly clearly the main opponent to Pritzker now

!!!! That’s it?! Yeah no kidding