IL-GOV 2022 megathread

[Donerail]

Very disappointing that this wasn't a presidential announcement

[Donerail]

Pritzker has a lot of problems, and isn't well liked, but unless a time machine brings 1994 Jim Edgar back, I dont see anyone they have that can actually win right now. Now a republican will win governor of Illinois in the next 12 years, but thats because Illinois is an epic disaster and there will be blowback against someone.

Illinois really needs term limits for their legislature, it would normalize the state so much.

Future Illinois trends most likely favor republicans. Illinois will probably flip before 2040

Not really. People like to make a big deal out of the city emptying out (though it grew 2% from 2010 to 2020), but the suburbs are growing and diversifying while downstate is rapidly declining.

[Donerail]

What do my Illinoisites here think the future of the Willie Wilson Party is?

I doubt he will ever get more than 5% in a statewide race. Wilson is a joke outside of a subset of the Chicago-area African American population.

That's kind of the impression I get of him.  He seems like he's all over the map ideologically.

Do you know what his appeal actually is?  Is it any coherent ideology or more of a cult of personality?

Willie Wilson is a fascinating figure. I wouldn't say there's an "ideology" to his support in the conventional sense, but there is something inspirational about a self-made millionaire, the son of sharecroppers, who grew up in the Jim Crow South before making it big in Chicago, that resonates with a lot of people. His support is concentrated almost exclusively among Chicago's black community, especially the churches, and he emphasizes issues that are of importance to a segment of that community. Even his supporters, I think, would acknowledge that he's a bit of an eccentric, but he's undeniably authentic and an inspiration for many, and he genuinely does a lot of important charitable work.