Illinois governor 2018, opinions, endorsements, predictions?

[Grassroots]

The Illinois governor election is not far away. Polling shows it to be a tight race. What are your thoughts?

[Dr. MB]

Biss seems to be the only decent non-dynasty candidate so him.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

I support Rauner.

[Donerail]

#resigned2pritzker

if I voted in Illinois (and I still might) I'd vote for Biss, but the Rosa debacle killed any chance of me volunteering for/donating to him.

[Young Conservative]

No one. Rauner lost the conservative support with his abortion shenanigans.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

I endorse Chris Kennedy in the primaries, but will also strongly support any dem who gets the nomination, and I think that is Pritzker. Anything to get a dem in and a piece of obstructionist sh!t like Rauner out. And no, I don't think it will be close. The dem will win this thing around 54-43, granted it will probably be closer than presidential level races, but Rauner is out. He is going to get Kirk'd, and anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. And polling is not showing a tight race, so drop that sh!t. You wanna see a close race in polling huh? Look at Fl Gov, WI gov, NV Sen, AZ Sen, etc. But not here.

He also has one of the crappiest approval ratings in the country as a governor. Nothing but a fake moderate and an obsutructionist. I asked my dad about Bruce Rauner, and he too said that he is an a$$h0le and would like to see Kennedy or another dem whoop him.

[Dr. MB]

I endorse Chris Kennedy in the primaries, but will also strongly support any dem who gets the nomination, and I think that is Pritzker. Anything to get a dem in and a piece of obstructionist sh!t like Rauner out. And no, I don't think it will be close. The dem will win this thing around 54-43, granted it will probably be closer than presidential level races, but Rauner is out. He is going to get Kirk'd, and anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. And polling is not showing a tight race, so drop that sh!t. You wanna see a close race in polling huh? Look at Fl Gov, WI gov, NV Sen, AZ Sen, etc. But not here.

He also has one of the crappiest approval ratings in the country as a governor. Nothing but a fake moderate and an obsutructionist. I asked my dad about Bruce Rauner, and he too said that he is an a$$h0le and would like to see Kennedy or another dem whoop him.

If Pritzker is elected I think he will be imprisoned by 2025.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

I endorse Chris Kennedy in the primaries, but will also strongly support any dem who gets the nomination, and I think that is Pritzker. Anything to get a dem in and a piece of obstructionist sh!t like Rauner out. And no, I don't think it will be close. The dem will win this thing around 54-43, granted it will probably be closer than presidential level races, but Rauner is out. He is going to get Kirk'd, and anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. And polling is not showing a tight race, so drop that sh!t. You wanna see a close race in polling huh? Look at Fl Gov, WI gov, NV Sen, AZ Sen, etc. But not here.

He also has one of the crappiest approval ratings in the country as a governor. Nothing but a fake moderate and an obsutructionist. I asked my dad about Bruce Rauner, and he too said that he is an a$$h0le and would like to see Kennedy or another dem whoop him.

If Pritzker is elected I think he will be imprisoned by 2025.

Lol, I'm actually with you there, there is a none zero chance that this happens.

[smoltchanov]

No Pritzker for sure. Don't see any pluses, bit lot of money, in his candidacy, and strong smell of corruption. So, if a general will be him vs Rauner - Rauner (what's important for me - Rauner isn't a social conservative, and some fiscal conservatism is acceptable to me). But will reevaluate after primary...

[henster]

I hate to say this but Pritzker's weight bothers me I don't like to body shame but he very much gives off a 'fat cat' vibe.

[Former Kentuckian]

How do you all think Jeanne Ives will do in the primary against Rainer? What percentage do you predict she will receive?

[Fuzzy Bear]

If I were an IL voter, I'd support Rauner.  He really did inherit a mess not of his making, the solutions to which are far from obvious.

[Mike Thick]

I support Biss, but let’s just say I’m glad that I don’t have to vote there.

[Alabama_Indy10]

Not Rauner. Probably Chris Kennedy

[brucejoel99]

I support Kennedy.

It's undeniable that powerful IL Democratic players from Mike Madigan to Emanuel are steering unions, interest groups & politicians to throw their support behind billionaire Pritzker. There's no mistaking the political calculus at work. For all the nostalgia & political romance wrapped up in the Kennedy name, Pritzker has pledged to bankroll his own campaign against Rauner. And when you're the IL DEMs & you're engaged in an all-out war w/ Rauner, you're gonna wanna do what you think will give you the win, even if that means abandoning the guy you've tried for years to recruit for a run (i.e. Kennedy).

Now, I understand that a lot of the IL Democratic politicians are looking at the Rauner model & saying "We want Pritzker, the guy w/ unlimited resources;" it's an automatic, instant pot of gold, & it's understandable from a raw, crass political standpoint, but I'm just not sure that it works in the long term.

So, if Kennedy could just start really connecting on the grassroots level w/ voters, then all this may very well backfire monumentally on Pritzker. After all, Democrats just went through a presidential primary where a segment of voters felt like party elites forced the anointed candidate upon them + Republicans have bet the house, so to speak, against Mike Madigan, spending the better part of the last several years driving up his unfavorables. A view that he's pulling strings for Pritzker won't sit well w/ at least a segment of the voters.

[Donerail]

^The problem with the above is that Chris Kennedy is a supremely weird human being and oozes a bizarre sort of anti-charisma that prevents him from connecting with anybody. Madigan et al. have figured out that Pritzker is not only the smart choice from a financial standpoint, but a much better general election candidate than Kennedy.

[Blair]

^The problem with the above is that Chris Kennedy is a supremely weird human being and oozes a bizarre sort of anti-charisma that prevents him from connecting with anybody. Madigan et al. have figured out that Pritzker is not only the smart choice from a financial standpoint, but a much better general election candidate than Kennedy.

I was going to say the exact same; I thought Chris Kennedy would have a decent shot, but nothing about his campaign, or media appearances, have been impressive.

One of the worst element of dynastic politics is letting generally awful politicians run. If Kennedy wanted to run he should have ran in 2014, or ran against Kirk in 2016 (or 2010).

Is there any indication this race isn't going to be a blowout for Pritzker? He appears to have the vast majority of the party machinery behind him, combined with the money, and name ID- and there's not even anyone impressive on the left running.

[MAINEiac4434]

^The problem with the above is that Chris Kennedy is a supremely weird human being and oozes a bizarre sort of anti-charisma that prevents him from connecting with anybody. Madigan et al. have figured out that Pritzker is not only the smart choice from a financial standpoint, but a much better general election candidate than Kennedy.

Yup. The Charming Kennedy Gene skips a generation. See his brothers RFK Jr and Joe Kennedy II, his sister Kathleen, his cousins Ted Jr, Patrick and Caroline. JFK Jr seemed to be an exception to this rule, but we never got to find out how he'd do in a campaign.

By the same stroke, Joe Kennedy III (Chris's nephew) oozes charisma and I personally feel the sky is the limit for him politically.

[Illiniwek]

I too support Kennedy, but have pretty much accepted that he is going to get third in the primary. I will enthusiastically support the Democratic candidate against Rauner. Its hard to explain why but I would even take Ives over Rauner.

[Sherrod Brown Shill]

Daniel Biss, the resident mathematician of Nerdfighteria of course! I know he doesn't have a chance in the primary though but I can hope.

[Shadows]

The Kennedy Democrats don't want

For years, Democrats have tried to cajole Chris Kennedy into running statewide in Illinois, hoping that the wealthy son of the late Robert F. Kennedy could parlay his exalted family name into high office. So when Kennedy finally announced a bid for governor in February, comparisons to Camelot abounded. He took the early lead in polling and drew an almost immediate endorsement from a coalition of county chairmen in Southern Illinois. Now, three months later, Kennedy has fallen out of favor with key labor groups and powerful forces within the Democratic establishment. And he’s facing a roadblock that’s unfamiliar to his family: pressure to drop out of the race.

There’s mounting evidence that powerful Democratic players in the state — from House Speaker Michael Madigan to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — are steering unions, interest groups or politicians to throw their support behind billionaire J.B. Pritzker, the brother of former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. There’s no mistaking the political calculus at work. For all the nostalgia and political romance wrapped up in the Kennedy name, J.B. Pritzker has pledged to bankroll his own campaign against Bruce Rauner, the wealthy Republican governor with whom Illinois Democrats are engaged in an all-out war. Since 2014, Rauner and billionaire ally Ken Griffin have poured millions of dollars into winning the governor’s mansion and cutting into the Democratic majority in the state legislature. In December, Rauner deposited $50 million into his own reelection account.

At the moment, Kennedy is out-polling Pritzker as well as other candidates — Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Bob Daiber, a school superintendent from Southern Illinois. A Kennedy spokesman noted that Democrats paid a price the last time the party establishment meddled with a big race, referring to Hillary Clinton’s November defeat after her primary against Bernie Sanders.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/chris-kennedy-illinois-governor-bid-238364

[Young Conservative]

The Kennedy Democrats don't want

For years, Democrats have tried to cajole Chris Kennedy into running statewide in Illinois, hoping that the wealthy son of the late Robert F. Kennedy could parlay his exalted family name into high office. So when Kennedy finally announced a bid for governor in February, comparisons to Camelot abounded. He took the early lead in polling and drew an almost immediate endorsement from a coalition of county chairmen in Southern Illinois. Now, three months later, Kennedy has fallen out of favor with key labor groups and powerful forces within the Democratic establishment. And he’s facing a roadblock that’s unfamiliar to his family: pressure to drop out of the race.

There’s mounting evidence that powerful Democratic players in the state — from House Speaker Michael Madigan to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — are steering unions, interest groups or politicians to throw their support behind billionaire J.B. Pritzker, the brother of former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. There’s no mistaking the political calculus at work. For all the nostalgia and political romance wrapped up in the Kennedy name, J.B. Pritzker has pledged to bankroll his own campaign against Bruce Rauner, the wealthy Republican governor with whom Illinois Democrats are engaged in an all-out war. Since 2014, Rauner and billionaire ally Ken Griffin have poured millions of dollars into winning the governor’s mansion and cutting into the Democratic majority in the state legislature. In December, Rauner deposited $50 million into his own reelection account.

At the moment, Kennedy is out-polling Pritzker as well as other candidates — Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Bob Daiber, a school superintendent from Southern Illinois. A Kennedy spokesman noted that Democrats paid a price the last time the party establishment meddled with a big race, referring to Hillary Clinton’s November defeat after her primary against Bernie Sanders.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/chris-kennedy-illinois-governor-bid-238364

There is not political calculus at work; more like political accounting. JB Pritzer donated 22 MILLION to Democrats in 2016 and has been trying to buy elected office for years. Money talks...consequently, he is the only major Democrat in the race that could lose to Rauner.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

Come on democrats, we are not losing it this time. Many of us have our preferences in the primary, but once that is over, it is time to coalesce around the nominee and knock the sh!t out of Rauner (figuratively).

[America Needs R'hllor]

In the dem primary I prefer Kennedy, but in the general I endorse Rauner. I'm a fan of his pro-choice views and the Illinois Democratic party is terrible.

[JGibson]

Daniel Biss is my choice.

Whoever wins the Dem primary will be my choice in the general.